The 2024 NBA Draft will be held on Wednesday, June 26th and Thursday, June 27th. Our resident draft expert Bryant has semi-retired from draft scouting, so we won’t have his usual in-depth breakdowns to rely on. So we’re going to do our draft coverage a little differently this year. We’ll present some prospects, share some highlight videos, and share some general thoughts before opening it up to the group to discuss.
ESPN’s latest mock draft (paywall) has the Sacramento Kings selecting Ron Holland of the G League Ignite.
“Landing on a Sacramento team with established talent and roles, which won’t ask Holland to be an offensive focal point, could be ideal long term for his game. That move would allow Holland to get back to his roots as a tough defender and high-energy contributor.”
Holland is a draft-crush for many Kings fans, so we’ll take this opportunity to discuss him further!
NBA Position: Wing
General Info: 18-year-old, played at G League Ignite. From Duncanville, TX.
Measurables: 6’6.5″ w/o shoes, 196.8 lbs, 6’10.75″ wingspan.
2023-2024 Season Statistics: 18.5 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.8 APG, 2.1 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 3.5 TPG (15 games played, 30.3 minutes per game), 47.4% FG, 23.9% 3P, 68.5% FT
The first thing I noticed when I started looking at Ron Holland’s measurements was his wingspan. A 6’6″ or 6’7″ small forward normally wouldn’t excite me. But with a nearly 6’11” wingspan, the equation changes. Holland is, by NBA wing standards) small and nimble but still has the length to be a disruptive force on the defensive end.
Looking at the numbers, that horrible three-point percentage jumps out. Holland is not going to stretch the floor on a regular basis. Watching highlights, Holland doesn’t have a terrible shooting stroke, it’s actually surprising he shoots so poorly. I won’t be surprised if his shooting improves to a more respectable level during his NBA career, but it’s also not something you can count on if you draft him. But the other big numbers are the rebounds, steals, and blocks. 6.7 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game is fantastic production from a wing player.
It’s easy to see why Holland is a favorite prospect for many Kings fans. He’s a disruptive defensive wing, contributes across the board, and contributes on offense even without elite shooting. He attacks the rim, but also has good passing vision when bottled up by defenses. It’s easy to see how he could play alongside De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and Keegan Murray. If Holland ended up being Sacramento’s pick at 13, I’d be pretty excited.
