So far, the Detroit Pistons have been able to navigate a mild early-season injury crisis en route to a 20-5 record and first place position in the Eastern Conference, which begs the question– how good can the Pistons be with a fully healthy squad?

Detroit came one step closer to answering that question on Friday against the Atlanta Hawks with veteran forward Tobias Harris back in the lineup after suffering a sprained ankle. The Pistons, though, had five consecutive days off to rest since they were bounced from the NBA Cup in the group stage after leaping out to a 2-0 start in the mid-season tournament. 

“It was definitely needed,” Pistons point forward Ausar Thompson said of the break. “I feel like we all came back, if we had little nagging injuries throughout the year, got those under control and we stayed in shape. I feel like that was a great thing, and we came out and we did what we were supposed to do.”

Playing at home against the Hawks, Thompson and the Pistons traded blows with Atlanta early on and bounced the lead back and forth like a game of hot potato, switching positions on top 13 times in the first quarter. After that, though, the Pistons were able to settle into what became a whopping 142-115 victory, a win so large that Detroit’s starters were able to rest for the entire fourth quarter. 

Instant Impact From Ron Holland

How were the Pistons able to kick it into gear after that highly competitive first quarter in order to coast to such a big win against a talented Hawks squad?

“Play hard and trust each other,” Thompson said. “I feel like Ron [Holland] came out and he set the tone. Ron is like an energy shifter, so we came out and the starters were a little stagnant. I feel like Ron and the second group all collectively, but Ron stood out to me, just kind of set the tone for the rest of the game and we were like, we’ve got to step it up.”

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Thompson was polite when giving his answer not to overshadow the other four players on the court, but it was clear that he felt Holland was the fulcrum, the catalyst and the game-changing player on the Pistons’ second unit Friday night. Holland finished the game with 12 points (3/3 FGs), five rebounds, three assists and one steal while going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line against Atlanta.

Each time Holland steps on the court, the second-year forward brings an added supply of energy and tenacity. Everything Holland does on the court, he does at 100-percent, and that type of high-octane play is the reason Holland makes such a large impact without playing starter-level minutes on a deep Pistons team. 

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But Holland’s qualities align precisely with what Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff preaches for his squad, so the versatile, energetic forward will continue to grow and develop with Detroit moving forward. For instance, Holland is a big asset in helping spark transition offense for the Pistons, and the fast break was another area that Detroit was able to gain a concerted edge over Atlanta on Friday night. Against the Hawks, Holland and the Pistons logged a 30-9 upper hand in fast break points, which is 13 points higher than their average for the season. 

“Atlanta likes to push the pace, so our goal was to get a bunch of stops,” Thompson said. “When we get stops, coach [Bickerstaff] makes it so that all of us are free to push the ball and try to score or put pressure on the basket, maybe kick it out, so we definitely brought out [the pace] for sure.”

The Pistons have one more day off before facing the Boston Celtics for a matchup that may very well be a preview of the Eastern Conference finals. After struggling in the early part of the regular season, the Celtics look like a dangerous outfit at 15-10 in 2nd place of the Atlantic Division.

Detroit will travel to Boston on Monday, Dec. 15 for a 7 pm tip-off against the Celtics at TD Garden. 

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