Ron Holland is one of the Detroit Pistons’ most important bench players, and his impact comes down to attitude and work ethic.
A lot of top-five picks would come into the league expecting to be a top option on a bad team, which is usually what happens. But the Pistons unexpectedly made the leap to playoff contender, so it wasn’t a free-for-all for Holland as it was for the other Pistons' young guys when they were drafted.
Most of the Pistons’ young core was allowed to play through mistakes with impunity, while Holland was asked to be a role player on a good team as a rookie, facing pressure the others never had to face at his age.
And to Holland’s credit, he has taken it all in stride, accepting the role he was given and thriving in it, even if he isn’t yet an elite offensive option. Given the context, it would be impossible for Holland to break through as an offensive player, as there just isn’t that kind of role for him yet.
For now, he’s happy to be coming off the bench and has the attitude to thrive in that role until he’s ready for a starting spot.
Ron Holland is a selfless team player
During the pre-draft process, I was impressed how Holland talked mostly about winning instead of his individual prowess. He said he’d do whatever was needed of him to win, and so far, that’s exactly what he’s done, providing endless energy and defensive pressure off the bench.
It’s a role he’s relished, as he said in a recent article from Omari Sankofa II:
“Coming off the bench for me, it allows me to slow the game down and being able to watch where I can really shine and being able to see what guys’ tendencies are, and to go in and make an immediate impact...I definitely love coming off the bench with this team because one, it’s gonna be nights like this where we start off kinda slow. That’s what the bench mob is for, we get in and bring that spark and the energy we need.”
This is such a refreshing attitude from a young player, as many guys in his situation would be pouting, but Holland is just happy to be part of a winning team and trying to figure out how he can help.
All of the great Pistons teams had great bench players, from Vinny “Microwave” Johnson to Mark Aguirre and Corliss Williamson, all of whom played huge roles on title teams because they were willing to sacrifice individual stats for a ring.
Holland is carrying on that tradition of selflessness off the bench and is one of the Pistons’ most important reserves even though he doesn’t score a ton.