After barely playing in the first round, Ron Holland had a strong start to Round 2 with 10 productive minutes against the Cavaliers in Game 1. The Pistons proved they knew how to use him properly by putting him in situations where he could thrive. Holland was able to contribute on both ends in his playing time as a strong defender and decisive attacker.
Ron Holland just needed the right playoff matchup
Unfortunately for Holland, he was a terrible option against the Magic because of their lengthy defenders, who could exploit his lack of shooting. But the Cavaliers don't have the same defensive personnel to make the Pistons pay for playing Holland. In fact, Holland was able to score effectively in Game 1; he totaled 8 points in his scant playing time, including a transition and-one and a buzzer-beater three.
On the other end, Holland held up well against Donovan Mitchell and James Harden as a perimeter defender. His disruptive energy helped force 19 total turnovers from the Cavaliers, which led to many easy baskets for the Pistons. Holland was part of coach JB Bickerstaff's effective game plan to take advantage of his former team with an advantage in rebounds and turnovers.
Holland did a good job of staying patient but ready amidst the Pistons' tough first-round series. Despite seeing his role greatly diminished from the regular season, the 20-year-old kept a positive attitude and it's already paid off. Holland knows that defense is typically the way to earn minutes in Detroit, so he made sure to give full effort on that end as soon as he got any opportunity.
The Pistons may have found their secret weapon
It's unlikely that Holland will ever play huge minutes for the Pistons in this year's playoff run. He's not quite good enough to threaten any of Detroit's usual starters, but he does know how to make the most of his minutes. Aside from his obvious defensive strengths, Holland can also help the Pistons' bench unit with his quick decision-making on offense.
Whenever Holland catches the ball, he immediately does something with it rather than wasting time. Whether that decision is shooting, driving or passing out to a teammate, Holland's quickness can expose cracks in an opposing defense. When he gets a full head of steam, he can also be hard to stop thanks to his elite athleticism, supreme confidence and surprising skill level in the open floor.
There could easily be a couple upcoming games where Holland swings the score drastically in his limited minutes and helps the Pistons scrape by a win. If they continue to use him in the right moments, he has the potential to make an outsized impact.
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