The Detroit Pistons took care of business on the road last night against the 76ers, even though they were missing two starters and lost backup Isaiah Joe after he’d been on the floor for four minutes.
The Pistons do what they always do, which is step up, with Daniss Jenkins and Paul Reed playing well in starting roles and Ron Holland picking up some slack off the bench.
If you only looked at Holland’s shooting splits, you’d think he had a rough night, and when it came to shooting the ball, he did. Holland couldn’t buy a shot, missing seven straight before finally hitting a contested bunny late in the game.
Holland missed all three of his 3-point attempts, though they were all good shots, and all looked like they were going in, so hopefully, they eventually will.
But Holland showed why he’s important to this team even when he’s not scoring, especially with Ausar Thompson out with an ankle injury.
Ron Holland II grabbed key rebounds and put Jaylen Brown in prison
With Ausar Thompson out, Holland is the Pistons’ best point-of-attack defender and the guy they can put on the other team’s best player.
Part of the night, that player was Jaylen Brown, who Holland absolutely locked up on several plays. Brown finished the night shooting 5-of-20 and a lot of those misses came with Holland right in his chest.
With Jalen Duren also out, everyone had to step up on the glass, another area where Holland was great last night, as he added nine rebounds and gave the Pistons a decisive advantage on the boards, which was one of the big keys to the win.
Holland racked up four assists and showed how he can contribute on offense even if his shot isn’t falling. He had two nice kickouts on fast breaks, and once when he got to the rack but was met by a wall of defenders.
Holland showed better decision making with his passing, and it’s something we need to see more of.
Of course, Holland gives you the full spectrum when he’s out there, good and bad, which was illustrated perfectly on a play when Holland made a strong defensive stand, got out on the break and then tried to bring the rim down with a thunderous dunk that he missed and led to an easy bucket on the other end.
You have to take the good with the bad when it comes to Holland, and right now, the Pistons have enough shooting if Holland is going to do everything else well. It would be nice to see a few shots fall for Holland, and eventually they will, but until then, he’ll remain an important defender and rebounder, particularly when the Pistons are shorthanded.
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