NBA Draft Profile- Ron Holland

At Draft Nation, the NBA draft talk never ends. We will get you ready for the 2024 draft with player profiles and mock drafts so you can see who your favorite team may add to their roster. 

Today’s Spotlight - G-League Ignite, Power Forward, Ron Holland

Name- Ron Holland

Pos- Power Forward

Team- G-League Ignite

HT/WT- 6’6” 204 lbs

Born- 7/7/2005

Home – Duncanville, TX

Ron Holland was a star basketball player at Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas. He scored over 1,500 points and collected over 900 rebounds in helping the Panthers win a pair of state titles and being nationally ranked all 4 seasons. During his senior year he was selected to play in the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Boy’s Game and also for Team USA in the Nike Hoops Summit. Holland was a consensus 5-star and the best prospect coming out of the state of Texas and committed to playing college basketball for Texas over offers from Kentucky, Memphis, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, UCLA, and Oregon. 

He stated in January 2023 that he was still committed to Texas after Head Coach Chris Beard was fired by the Longhorns. However, Holland later requested a release from his National Letter of Intent in April of 2023. Shortly after being released from his NLI, he announced he was going to forgo playing college basketball and instead play professionally for the NBA G-League Ignite. 

This season for the Ignite, he started 14 games and averaged 18.5 points and 6.7 rebounds. He suffered a thumb injury and shut down his season to get ready for the draft.

Ron Holland creates shots off the dribble and does so at different paces making him a dynamic offensive player. He has the speed to beat you off the dribble but also can lull you to sleep with a cross-over and jumpshot. He is an adequate shooter from inside the arc and can penetrate or pull up with a jump shot. 

Defensively, Holland does a good job rebounding for his size. His athleticism and hard work on defense leads to steals, and he has the playmaking abilities to lead a fastbreak and make good decisions at the end. Holland is an athletic player who loves to drive to the hoop and has nearly a 7’0” wingspan, helping him do an effective job of clogging up the passing lanes. 

However, Holland struggles with his shot selection at times and is reluctant to take the outside shot, instead looking to constantly drive the ball. His mechanics are not the cleanest and he shoots a below the shoulder push shot which may be easier for the quicker and larger NBA players to defend. Holland is not a player who creates a lot for his teammates in the half court set, and is not a strong ball handler. He plays with high energy on defense but his positioning can be shaky at times, selling out to get up the court for a dunk and leaving his responsibilities a step too early. 

When watching high school game film on Ron Holland, Draft Nation saw almost a spitting image of Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins, was the first overall pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014 (out of Kansas) and was a player who could drive to the basket any possession he wanted to. He has had a solid NBA career averaging 19.1 points per game and he has added some depth to his shot as his career has gone on. Ron Holland will need to work on his outside game but has the ability to be a 20 + a game scorer in the NBA.

Strengths

• Athletic/ Length
• Off the dribble success
• Energy on defense
• Penetration to basket

Weaknesses

• Mechanics on shot
• Sells out early on D
• Outside shot
• Ball Handling

Final Analysis

It is still early in the process but this appears to be a weaker than normal draft class. That being said, Ron Holland has a very good chance of cashing in and being the first overall pick in the draft. Holland matched up with a quality point guard could be a mismatch waiting to happen every night. He will only get better as a shooter and should be an NBA starter for a decade plus. 

Draft Nation Draft Prediction - Top 3 pick (right now #1)