Ron Holland is coming off a fantastic summer league and looking for a bigger role on the Pistons’ main roster. He recently posted a picture on his Instagram story of a weight scale showing 212.0 pounds with the caption “+15lbs”. The post implies that his bodyweight is increasing as he bulks for the upcoming season and likely prepares to fill one of the team’s biggest current voids: backup power forward.
The Detroit Pistons need Ron Holland to play big
Last season, Holland was officially listed at 6-foot-8 and 206lbs. It’s easy to forget how big he is because of his thin frame and fluid athleticism, but Holland does have the size to be a power forward in today’s NBA with a proper bulk. For reference, starting power forward Tobias Harris is listed at the same height and 226lbs bodyweight. Obviously 20lbs is a huge difference but it doesn’t have to come all at once.
Holland has generally been taking a smart and patient approach to the offseason that could pay dividends in the future. At Summer League, he often looked like the best player on the floor but chose to showcase his outside shooting and playmaking, which have been historical weaknesses for him. His improvements in both were clear and it was nice to see him play against less experienced/talented competition with this mindset rather than dominating with his pure athleticism.
Holland filling in as the backup and future power forward would solve the biggest issue on the Pistons’ depth chart. For as bad as Simone Fontecchio was last season, he was at least a proper power forward off the bench. His departure in the sign-and-trade for Duncan Robinson left a lot of questions about who would fill those minutes when Harris goes to the bench.
Ron Holland now seems to be the most likely answer. If he gains enough size to hang with some of the bigger power forwards in today’s game, especially in the Eastern Conference, Holland can solidify an increased role.
Assuming that his shooting leap is also legit, Holland’s skillset can be very complementary to the Pistons’ other young players. He was already a good slasher and finisher as a rookie, so adding consistency to his 3-point shooting will only make him a more versatile threat.
It’s easy (and enticing) to imagine him next to Ausar Thompson as a recreation of the Houston Rockets’ “Terror Twins” duo of Amen Thompson (Ausar’s twin brother) and Tari Eason. Those two frequently wreck havoc on defense and Eason’s passable shooting allows them to survive on offense as well.
From just a simple Instagram story post, Ron Holland was able to shed light onto his own offseason journey and the state of the Pistons’ depth chart headed into next season. Hopefully he can slot in perfectly not only as Tobias Harris’ backup but also his future long-term replacement.