It was a sign of life. For the first time all season, Ron Holland II truly showed the potential that the Detroit Pistons need to see from him. Obviously, there have been flashes of defense. Flashes of rebounding ability. But he put up some real numbers in the scoring column this past Friday night, and it helped him earn real minutes.
Holland got downhill. He found a way to get to the free-throw line. He was a relevant piece of the offense. A guy the Pistons could depend on to make his shots and be effective on that end of the court. It’s the two-way version of Holland that the Pistons undoubtedly envisioned when they first drafted him a few years back.
Obviously, one sign of life isn’t nearly enough for Holland. He’ll need to do this far more consistently to reach his ceiling. But Detroit’s win over the Brooklyn Nets was a great start.
Ron Holland II just showed some signs of offensive life
Holland has been a very up-and-down piece of the rotation ever since the Pistons selected him with the No. 5 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. He probably hasn’t lived up to his billing.
He came into the NBA as a very raw prospect. An athletic freak who hung his hat on the defensive end of the court. He needed to develop on offense. That development hasn’t really come.
But his performance in the Pistons’ win over the Nets on Friday night was certainly promising. It was the first time all season that he showed off some of the offensive development he needs to.
Holland ended the night with 18 points, three rebounds, two assists, four steals, and one block while shooting 6-of-10 from the field, 2-of-5 from beyond the arc, and 4-of-7 from the free-throw line in 21:37 of action.
Seeing Holland get to the rack, draw fouls, and even extend his game beyond the arc and knock down some threes is super promising. Hopefully, it’s a sign of what could be next up for him.
That said, Holland still has a very long way to go. He has only played 20 or more minutes in three of the Pistons’ six games this season. If he wants to keep that up, he needs to keep producing on offense.
In an ideal world, Holland can break into the Pistons’ every-night rotation. Well, break in and play heavy minutes. His defense is legit when he can avoid fouling.
He just needs to produce enough offense to warrant keeping him on the floor.
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