NBA executive thinks Pistons are facing another rebuild

The Detroit Pistons went for athletic talent and upside when they took Ron Holland at No. 5 in this year's NBA Draft. According to one NBA executive, the pick signals Detroit will be rebuilding once again.

Holland got four of 20 votes in ESPN's anonymous poll of 20 NBA executives and scouts as the draft's "biggest reach." While Holland showed scoring ability and athleticism, he's still raw as a prospect. And, like many of the Pistons' recent lottery picks, he has a questionable jumper.

"I feel bad for Cade Cunningham," one of the unnamed poll respondents said. "They've been rebuilding for years even though they never planned on it, and this pick signals they might need to blow up the roster and start over again. I just don't see how [Holland] plays with Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey and all their other young guys. That situation is a mess."

What Holland has in common with Ivey and Thompson, who were the No. 5 picks in 2022 and 2023, respectively, is that he isn't a good jump shooter yet. That's a common theme for the Pistons, who ranked second to last in three-pointers last season while ranking 26th in three-point percentage and 24th in field-goal percentage.

Detroit has made moves to add veterans who can correct this issue, signing Malik Beasley (41.3 percent from three-point range last season) and Tobias Harris (36.8 percent on threes for his career), re-signing Simone Fontecchio (42.6 percent from three-point range last season) and claiming 36.8 percent three-point shooter Paul Reed on waivers. This should help Cunningham, who emerged as a star for the woeful Pistons in 2023-2024.

But it's unlikely that the young core is going to stay. New team president Trajan Langdon did a solid job adding role players this summer, but most of the young players aren't complementary with one another. Plus, since most were drafted by former general manager Troy Weaver, Langdon has no attachment to them.

That means that while next year's Pistons should be better than last season's squad, which set a record for consecutive losses, their future remains murky. Holland is likely going to be a part of that future. For all the other young players not named Cade Cunningham, they may not survive the next phase in Detroit's perpetual rebuilding effort.