Detroit Pistons: Ron Holland II Says Pace Was The Problem Vs. 76ers

After a 6-2 start to the regular season that already has the Detroit Pistons in second place in the Eastern Conference, the squad is thrilled to be back at home for a few days. 

Right now, the Pistons have three days off before hosting the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, Nov. 8, but this is their first opportunity to digest the initial 10% of the 2026-27 campaign. So, it’s safe to say there is a sense of relief for the team to be back within the Motor City limits. 

“It feels amazing to be back home,” Pistons wing Ron Holland II said. “We just came back from a long road trip. We handled our business, came back to the crib, got the rest, got that film that we needed. We came up short last night, but we came into practice today to watch film. We know what we did wrong.”

Holland was referring to Detroit’s recent 112-106 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, which was a missed opportunity for the Pistons to make a declarative statement to the NBA. Although Detroit had already taken down the Sixers once this year, Holland said that the Pistons had set out with clear intentions to use both their youth and speed advantageously, but that is not how Wednesday night’s matchup unfolded. 

”One thing that we brought up that was really important is our pace,” Holland said. “It wasn’t as fast as it normally is from the past year and these past other seven games that we’ve been playing.”

Dating back to when Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff arrived in Motown, the team had long prioritized their ability to play transition basketball. In Bickerstaff’s eyes, any look that comes off the break can be considered a positive development if the opposing defense hasn’t had enough time to rest, so the Pistons tend to use their turnover-forcing penchant to create transition looks. 

Against the Sixers, that’s not exactly how the contest unfolded. Even though Ausar Thompson, who is no stranger to running the break, was able to grab 17 rebounds on the night, the Pistons seemed stuck in second gear for most of their 42-point first half. After the break, Detroit was more successful in generating open shots, many of which went to Duncan Robinson amid his seven-triple performance, but Philadelphia knocked down a series of clutch free throws late in the fourth quarter to wrap up their victory. 

Despite that pitfall, the Pistons are still positioned as one of the top teams in the East, and they’ve risen to that spot without All-Star center Jalen Duren for most of the time. Duren is just about to reach the point where he will be re-evaluated, so expect to receive an update on his rehab in the near future. 

While the Pistons have kept their head above water with Paul Reed sliding to the starting center role, Detroit has at times struggled to clean the glass from a rebounding perspective, so JD’s return would certainly help out in that realm. Isaiah Joe, who has also missed a number of games recently with a hip contusion, was spotted at shootaround before the 76ers game, so it appears that he’s getting closer to making his return for Detroit as well.