Ron Holland II #00 of the Detroit Pistons (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
It’s only been five days since Ron Holland II’s first NBA season started, but he’s already feeling the love from the Detroit Pistons.
“I think it's been an amazing experience,” Holland told RG in a sit-down interview at a morning shootaround at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse before taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers later that day.
“I'm just really getting to know these guys, getting familiar with their games and just seeing the brotherhood that this franchise has, being able to build everybody and knowing that everybody's got the heart and the right amount of grit to help turn this franchise around.”
Holland, the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft this past June, has been opening eyes at the pro level since he stepped foot on the court at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
He’s a tenacious defender with a fiery competitive spirit and a ton of burst, which makes him a seamless fit for a J.B. Bickerstaff-led Pistons squad that’s determined to make noise in a new era.
“He understands how to impact winning and what that looks like, from a guy who's used to [having] the ball in his hands, the dominant playmaker, scorer all those things,” Bickerstaff said pregame on Friday in Cleveland. “But he kinda understands how he's working his way into this but how he can still be impactful because that's all he wants to do. At a young age, that's very mature, and that bodes well for his future.”
On Wednesday night, Holland made his NBA debut in a hard-fought battle on the road with the Indiana Pacers.
The 19-year-old wasted no time putting his defensive prowess on display, shuffling his feet, staying in front, and forcing a jump ball against a driving Bennedict Mathurin. He also recorded a couple of steals.
There were hustle plays, too, including his first bucket in the league via a putback off the glass. He wound up with just six points but was active off the ball and got three good looks from distance in his 15 minutes of action.
“I wouldn't say it felt the same as Summer League, but it definitely felt like I've been there before for sure,” Holland said. “Bright lights, big stage. We did so much preparing for the game weeks prior. I was just ready, and I went out there, and I feel like I gave energy and effort and I gave my team the best chance.”
Holland followed up his first game with a four-point, seven-rebound performance with one block in 17 minutes of action in Cleveland. His activity on the glass and ability to guard certainly were felt despite a bit of a struggle offensively.
He even got into a small scuffle with Cavs veteran Georges Niang, aggressively trying to brush Niang off while bringing the ball up as he got on his hip.
“The thing that's been most impressive is he's just fearless,” Bickerstaff said before the game. “You watch some of the guys that he's gone after defensively, gotten in a few skirmishes already. But [he] just hasn't backed down from anybody.
“To be a rookie and young at that, to come in and take on challenges of these proven, veteran guys, I just have a ton of respect for that.”
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Like Matas Buzelis, whom RG.org spoke to earlier this month, Holland is a proud alum of the now-defunct G League Ignite. The two are the last first-round picks from the organization, joining the likes of Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Dyson Daniels, MarJon Beauchamp and Scoot Henderson to accomplish that feat.
“It's an honor,” Holland said. “The Ignite program helped me in ways that people wouldn't even imagine. For us to be the last batch there, I feel like we've really gotta show what Ignite did for us. I feel like me and Matas have been doing a great job of that so far.
“They mainly helped me prepare body and mentally-wise. Things can go wrong, but it's a long game. It's a game of runs and being able to just stay poised, stay calm and collected throughout. We're not supposed to get too high or too low. Just stay at one level and just keep doing what got you there. Whatever you were doing the first quarter, if it's working, keep doing it up until the end of the game.”
Holland spoke his mind further on the NBA’s decision to cease the Ignite franchise.
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Asked about who he’s become closest to in Detroit, Holland mentioned veteran newcomers Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley, as well as Cade Cunningham and Pistons assistant Jarrett Jack.
Jack, now under Bickerstaff after spending a few seasons with the Phoenix Suns, played for 13 seasons in the NBA.
“He's been great for us. He's been very helpful to me,” Bickerstaff said of his assistant. “Obviously his experience with the guys, his experience playing in the NBA and the type of player that he was. He was a tough, gritty guy who had to use intelligence and study the game and prepare [for] the game the right way -- and see it from a coach's perspective a lot of times.
“He relates to guys still on a high level because he's just brutally honest. He's not one of those guys that's pulling punches or trying to play mind games. He just tells guys the truth. The guys have embraced it and I've appreciated it.”
Having bookended his playing career with the Ignite in 2021, Jack has seen it all and will be a pivotal part of Holland’s development.
“He's been telling me, let the game come to me,” Holland said. “I mean, a lot has gotten me here, and [the message is to] just keep doing what got me here, to be honest. I don't really need to overcomplicate it. And [he tells me] that I look like I belong. Just hearing that from him, it means a lot and it definitely instilled a lot of confidence in me.
“Really just learning how to slow down, not really playing at 100% speed all the time and just playing with pace. I'm learning a lot of that from Coach J-Jack and Cade really, just teaching me how to let the game come to me and slow down for real.”
While he knows that the defensive end is his calling card, there are other areas of Holland’s skill set that still need to come along.
Player development is different for everybody. It depends on opportunity and situation. Saturday night, for example, did not go in his favor against the defending-champion Boston Celtics. That will happen.
However, Holland will get his chances in Detroit to show what he is capable of – and he’s grateful for everybody on the Pistons who are aiding him in this process.
“A lot of these guys, really. It's surprising to say, but all of them are really taking me under their wing,” Holland said. “It's because everybody's got so much to give back and all the information and knowledge that they've been through because they've had years in the league. Just to be able to give that back to me, I really appreciate them for that.
“But to be honest, I feel like the whole team is really doing that 'cause they want me to be successful, and they know that I got the dawg mentality to be able to help them win every single night, so why not?”
Spencer Davies
