Last season, the Detroit Pistons had an imbalance on the bench that leaned towards defense.
Arguably their three most important bench players were Isaiah Stewart, Ron Holland and Javonte Green, all guys known for their defense and limited offensive games.
The Pistons shipped Stewart out early in the offseason and replaced him with Isaiah Joe and Taurean Prince, two players known far more for their shooting than their defense.
The Pistons will certainly miss Stew’s rim protection and toughness, and they didn’t do much to replace it.
The bench next season has an imbalance towards shooting, which should help the team overall, but they will need Holland to step into a new and bigger role.
Ron Holland is now the Pistons’ defensive stopper
Stewart’s departure leaves an opening for bench enforcer that Ron Holland will have to fill.
Let’s keep it real, Holland isn’t Beef Stew and isn’t going to be stuffing people at the rim or throwing guys around in the paint.
But Holland is arguably a better defender overall and needs to embrace that role now that Stewart is gone if the Pistons are going to retain their defensive identity.
A lot of that identity was wrapped up in Beef Stew, but Javonte Green actually led the league in bench steals last season and Ron Holland wasn’t too far behind, so they were also big parts.
We’ve mostly spent the summer talking about Holland’s offense, and it would be nice to see him make some strides on that end, especially when it comes to shooting the corner 3-ball.
Holland doesn’t have to become an offensive star overnight, but the Pistons do need him to step into a bigger defensive role now that Stewart is in Memphis.
That might mean playing a little more at the four and taking on bigger forwards, something he will hopefully be more equipped to do after another offseason of growth.
It also means looking for more blocks at the rim, hunting weakside swats and trying to replace some of the rim protection the Pistons lost.
Holland was already a defensive game-changer last season and will have more responsibility on his shoulders now that his best defensive teammate is no longer coming off the bench with him.
If Holland can excel in this role, it will matter less if his offense doesn’t progress as quickly.
Stewart was a player who often changed the momentum of the game with a timely block or big defensive play, and with him gone, that responsibility falls squarely onto Holland, who is entering the most important season of his career.
If he can be the Pistons’ defensive stopper while adding more nuance to his offense, Holland will be well on his way to being the player Detroit thought they were drafting.
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