Pistons Rookie Ron Holland Expresses Belief In Himself, Team Turnaround

Pistons rookie forward Ron Holland II appears to have entered the NBA with the idea that things will get better — slowly but surely.

He expressed as much in an exclusive interview with Spencer Davis of RG.org.

“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,” he told Davies.

Detroit has a relatively new group, but early results have been the same. After setting the NBA record for consecutive losses in a season last year (28), the Pistons are off to an 0-4 start this time.

But you can see a difference, a team that is competing under first-year coach J.B. Bickerstaff and with the additions of veterans such as Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr.

And it doesn’t hurt that Cade Cunningham is healthy and suddenly looks relatively unstoppable.

So with all that in mind, it feels like just a matter of time before Detroit learns how to win together and starts string together some strong stretches.

Holland, the No. 5 overall pick in the draft, is already in the rotation and making a contribution. Through the first four games, he’s averaging 5.3 points and 3.3 rebounds, and proving to bring an edge to the lineup. He is already one of the team’s best defenders.

“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 told reporters. “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.”

Holland is still just 19 years old and spent last season with the now-defunct G League Ignite. He praised the experience and indicated he hopes to bring what he learned and apply it to the NBA level.