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I suspect he’ll be a riser during the combine process, but I wonder if he could be had at 8 (rather than 4).
This has been one of the weirdest NBA drafts I have evaluated in a really long time. Outside of Alex Sarr l, who I had as my 1OA player even prior to the Ignite showcase in the fall, my personal draft rankings have changed at least 10 times over the course of the season as players I liked before the season like Adem Bona, Aday Mara, and Isiah Collier had horrible seasons, guys I really liked such as Ryan Dunn fell off a cliff by the end of the season, and as other guys I was less high on slowly crept up my draft board once I accounted for cir stances, potential and need.
One guy who I was really low on at the beginning of the season that I have since come around on is Ron Holland. While his shooting is still very much a work in progress, one thing that is not disputable is his eye popping athleticism which Holland combines with a relentless motor, strong work ethic, and defensive intensity. If Holland ends up in the right situation, I think he could easily end up being the best player from this draft due to his outstanding two way potential, which could see Holland develop into a consistent first team all-NBA defense type guy who can also penetrate, run out on the fast break and (if his shot develops) become a lethal three level scorer in the NBA. Simply put, I don’t think there is another wing in this year’s draft that has his potential, and I think inserting him into the Spurs lineup should instantly make the Spurs a much better defensive team.
I also think that, given the three teams picking after the Spurs at 4, there is a very, very good chance the Spurs could still draft Rob Dillingham at 8OA, solidifying a starting 5 that could easily develop into a NBA le contender within two to three years time. The reason I would take Holland before Dillingham is simple: there should be at least one high level PG available at 8 (I am sure one of Castle, Sheppard, or Dillingham will be there) but Holland would be a good fit for Detroit or Portland, and I could even see Charlotte taking him if they decide to move on from the domestic abuser currently on their roster.
Here’s a good break down of Holland, who gives me strong Kawhi vibes in terms of defensive impact on the perimeter.
I suspect he’ll be a riser during the combine process, but I wonder if he could be had at 8 (rather than 4).
Yeah, exactly, what Holland should bring is defense but with some upside into an offensive role. He would do well on a fast break team like the Spurs off the bench but will need a lot of work on that shot. I think considering him at 8 makes more sense. He seems like a Houston type player but no way are they picking him that high.
He's from Texas, so that's one advantage for him buying into San Antonio as a place to commit to.
I have no problem taking him at 8th, but defending if we don’t get Risacher at 4th. And I’d first take any of Dilly, Topic, Castle though. Cody Williams is another consideration for me at 8th. The Combine and individual workouts would really play huge in this class, and I’m hoping the Spurs will make their best diligence, since Primo, Samanic and Joe also performed very well at the Combine. Wesley killed it in his workout, though I really like his spirit just waiting for him to put it all together. Somehow Spurs scout heavily relied on Combine but missing that “it” on those selections. Lonnie fought his way through adversities growing up, but seems not to have the bball IQ.
Anyways, Holland has the potential of being a very good 2way, likewise Cody Williams at 8th.
I think it's going to really depend on how good Holland looks in private workouts, which of course we'll never know. I'd be pretty surprised if Sheppard gets past Houston though, he seems like the obvious guy for them to take at 3 to put an elite shooter with Sengun, which would be desperately needed considering how bad a shooter Amen is. Holland is probably my first choice at 8 as a swing for the fences gamble but at 4 I want to get someone with a pretty good floor like Dilly or Risacher. Take Holland at 4 and you're probably forced into another boom or bust pick in Topic at 8 or maybe Castle who is a terrible fit unless the coaching staff can teach him a jumpshot. Could end up with nothing useful out of this draft taking two home run swings.
Last edited by baseline bum; 1 Week Ago at 10:32 AM.
Sounds like the Thompson twins specially the Detroit guy for defense. Would not be bad to have
As mentioned elsewhere, Holland's production in Ignite is the same or a bit better than Jonathan Kuminga in Ignite.
https://www.tankathon.com/players/co...nathan-kuminga
I don’t think Holland’s shot is anywhere near as broken as either of the Thompson twins’. I also think that Holland has a higher floor than Dillingham or Sheppherd as there are so many ways Holland ends up a plus starter on a championship contender given his ideal positional size and athleticism. Big, powerful, two-way wings are essential in the playoffs, and athletes of Holland’s caliber only come around every couple of years. I don’t think there’s a single perimeter player in the NBA that will be able to take advantage of Holland from an athleticism standpoint over a 7 game series, and there’s only a handful of prospects over the past 5 drafts I would put in that category: Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, Antony Edwards, the Thompson twins, and Ron Holland.
There were games when Dillingham and Shepherd were both unplayable from a size and athleticism perspective, particularly against tougher opponents. I think both have really high offensive ceilings that they’ll have to at least come close to just to be a net positive player in the NBA, which is why they have lower floors than Holland to me.
Everyone in this draft is boom or bust. There isn’t one player you can point to and say that he absolutely WILL be a star. There isn’t even a clear concensus #1. It comes down to preferences for observers, and future projections for GMs.
Topic is way more boom or bust than Dillingham for example considering Dillingham can shoot the three, has an in between game, and can put the ball on the floor and get to the basket. Topic only has the last of these three. If he ever develops the first two he'll be a way better PG than Dillingham but if he doesn't he's not an NBA PG since teams can just back off him.
Dillingham's floor, to me, is as a flamethrower off the bench. Topic's floor is, as you say, hard to really like. Killian Hayes without the defense.
Since we really need to add a defender, this guy could be a prime candidate.
Ron could work here
He could easily be better than Risacher. Or he could bust. The Spurs gotta figure out which is which.
Holland and Castle seem like the ultimate upside picks.
Their athletic gifts and other skills could be deadly IF they can learn to shoot.
I like either one with the 8th pick.
It would be total irony if we pick Ron at 8, he hits all of his upside tails, and we get the new Kawhi as a continuation of the trade for the old broken-down one.
I believe timvp and also perhaps others stated, let’s see the combine measurements and go from there. We have a lot of wing SFs in the the 6-8 range that may measure out higher or lower and then what is their wingspan and vertical. Not all of these guys may be done growing either since last measured.
The deciding factor on these guys could easily be true numbers re length and athleticism.
isnt holland pretty much cissokko...We saw what cissokko could do is much what holland would do.
Cissoko’s shot is truly the stuff of nightmares. Hollands isn’t nearly as bad. Sidy is also kore of a big creator than a wing scorer, which would be the high level outcome of Holland.
Agree with this. All of the Kentucky kids were seriously unplayable at times. Especially given their talent and the other talent on the court with them. If teams can scheme and take those guys out of games completely in the SEC, well guess what's gonna happen in the pros?
Wary of Holland's shooting but he hit unofficial combine FT at 90% (9/10) so perhaps strong shooting sig?
And 7th overall combine max vert
I watched pretty much all the Kentucky games through conference play and into the tournament. Exactly when were the Kentucky kids unplayable? Because they were always in down the stretch. Those were their best players and they played.
Do Sochan and Hollands strengths and weaknesses overlap too much? Holland seems a better offensive player from day 1.
Defensively they might be similar. Sochan seems like a better playmaker and ball handler. I don't think you can have too many wings in the NBA today.
If he's there at 8, I'd probably grab him unless Dillingham or Castle are still on the board. Might be a coin flip between he and Buzelis if both are there.
To be fair, they weren't able to play after the first round.
I'm hoping Holland can be for the bench what Sochan has been for the first unit but that the starting three role is filled by a vet. Because I want a bench guy with upside and defense, it's hard for me to get excited about a guy like Knecht. The Spurs don't need to try to draft veteran leadership. They should go out and acquire vets that have already proven themselves.
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