Rockets Draft: The Case for Selecting Ron Holland

When the NBA Draft Lottery takes place next month, the final draft order will be finalized for teams with lottery selections. Given the fact that Houston owns the Brooklyn Nets’ first-round selection, the Rockets are projected to pick just inside of the top 10, even though Houston doesn’t have its own pick. A selection in the middle part of the lottery will allow the Rockets to add yet another promising player to the already talented roster.

Since there’s quite a bit of uncertainty at the top of this draft, expect quite a bit of variability in who could be available when Houston is on the clock. With that in mind, if Ron Holland is on the board when Houston drafts, he should be someone the front office heavily considers.

His season was cut short, along with the fact that Ignite struggled to win games, but Holland’s season in the G League was still very impressive. He was the team’s top option, proving to be capable of leading a professional team at 18 years old.  

Turnovers were a significant issue for Holland in his lone season between high school and the NBA, but that should probably be expected for a wing who was asked to be a primary facilitator at his age. He led Ignite in scoring, even if it wasn’t as efficient as he would have liked. The upside is tremendous for Holland, who was the No. 2 player in his high school class.  

If he were to be added to the Rockets roster in June, Holland should be an instant rotation player. He has struggled to hit perimeter shots, but is a fantastic defender. At a minimum, he should profile great energy off the bench and defend at least three positions. Holland is also an effective flasher who can finish with authority.   

If Holland is still available when it’s time for the Rockets to pick, he would be great addition to the young core in Houston.

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