Pistons stand pat at No. 5, draft 18-year-old Ron Holland in surprise pick

For the third straight year the Pistons entered NBA Draft night holding the No. 5 overall pick despite having top odds to land the No. 1 pick, though many had predicted Detroit would be looking to trade out of the pick this time around.

But in his first draft with the team, new President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon opted to stand pat and select 6-foot-8 forward Ron Holland.

Something of a surprise pick, the 18-year-old Holland wasn’t projected in the top 10 in most mock drafts. He comes to Detroit after playing last season with the G League Ignite after coming out of Duncanville High School in Texas.

Last season with the Ignite he put up 20.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in 14 games.

For a team lacking reliable 3-point shooting (34.8% ranked in the bottom five of the league last season), the Pistons will apparently be looking elsewhere to improve that aspect, as Holland shot just 24% on just over three attempts per game.

Bleacher Report's draft profile compares Holland to Cam Whitmore of the Houston Rockets, who averaged just over 12 points a game as a rookie last season.

Detroit went into the draft without a head coach after parting ways with Monty Williams after just one season.

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