Pistons pull a surprise, take G League Ignite's Ron Holland with No. 5 pick

The Detroit Pistons made the first big surprise of Wednesday's NBA draft.

With the No. 5 overall pick, Detroit took G League Ignite forward Ron Holland.

All the cards seemingly fell into place for the Pistons to strike a deal to move down in the draft.

With highly sought-after UConn center Donovan Clingan still on the board when Detroit was on the clock, Pistons’ new president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon reportedly fielded several calls from around the league.

But Langdon decided to stay put, drafting Holland at No. 5 overall.

Holland was considered a potential No. 1 pick heading into last season but he ultimately became a tough prospect to evaluate given how poorly the now-defunct G League Ignite season played out.

Holland is a high-energy, two-way wing with star potential. He was the most productive player on the Ignite, leading the team in scoring with 20.6 points per game. He also averaged 6.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.8 steals per game last season. His tenacious defense, though, is his calling card and ticket to playing time as a rookie.

While he’s shown the ability to create for himself and others, Holland needs to improve as a shooter. He shot only 24% from deep last season. The good news is, though, the Pistons brought in respected shooting coach Fred Vinson this offseason, who could help Holland improve in that area.

Holland is the sixth lottery pick added to the Pistons in the past five years, joining Cade Cunningham (No. 1 in 2021), Ausar Thompson (No. 5 in 2023), Jaden Ivey (No. 5 in 2022), Jalen Duren (No. 13 in 2022) and Killian Hayes (No. 7 in 2020). Duren was initially drafted by the Charlotte Hornets, but his rights were passed along to Detroit via a draft night trade.

Holland was preceded by 6-foot-9 Frenchman Zaccharie Risacher, whom the Atlanta Hawks drafted No. 1 overall. The rest of the top four was rounded out by the Washington Wizards taking French center Alexandre Sarr, the Houston Rockets drafting Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard and the San Antonio Spurs picking UConn guard Stephon Castle, respectively.

Langdon didn’t make quite as big of a splash as his predecessor in his first draft as the Pistons’ president of basketball operations. Not only did former general manager Troy Weaver draft Hayes, but he also executed a series of trades that brought center Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey to Detroit. But Langdon wasn’t nearly as busy, but still made a strong debut.

Weaver left the organization last month amid a front-office restructuring. The Pistons contemplated for three more weeks before coming to a decision on head coach Monty Williams’ future. Ultimately, team owner Tom Gores and Langdon made the decision to move on from Williams after one abysmal season. The move to fire the 2022 NBA Coach of the Year with five years remaining on his contract cost Gores $65 million.

With Weaver and Williams’ gone, Langdon has a clean slate to shape the Pistons into the winning franchise they once were. He’s already started to put his fingerprints on the organization, hiring Michael Blackstone, J.R. Holden and Dennis Lindsey to front-office roles.

But the work is far from over. Langdon, on top of handling Wednesday and Thursday’s draft duties, also is handling a search for a new general manager and head coach. Oh, and don’t forget free agency is also on the horizon.

Langdon acknowledged it’ll take time for the Pistons to get up and running in the way he envisions they can be. He believes the organization, as a whole, is on the right path to getting aligned with the right goals and mindset moving forward. It’s about forgetting the most recent franchise-low 14-win campaign and replacing those dreaded memories with excitement and optimism for the future.

The Pistons will have to wait to make their No. 53 pick another day. The NBA made the move to make the annual one-night event into a two-day festivity. The second round of the 2024 NBA draft will begin at 4 p.m. Thursday.

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