The Detroit Pistons are still a couple weeks out of training camp, but Ron Holland II had remained in work mode during the offseason
While most players on the Detroit Pistons have clear, defined roles entering the 2026-27 season, Ron Holland II is entering a crucial swing year that will be telling in terms of his development as a two-way threat— and ultimately his place in the rotation.
After the Pistons selected Holland in the top five of the 2024 NBA Draft, it was clear that the G-League Ignite star was going to need a little time to work on his offensive game. Although Holland averaged 20 points, six rebounds and three assists per game in the G-League, his defensive ability was still leaps and bounds further along. But at 6-8, Detroit saw value in Holland as an athletic wing with tenacious on-ball defense who could be a dangerous two-way weapon if he were to develop a jumper.
Last season, Holland was one of the every-game contributors for the Pistons on the second unit, posting just over eight points and four rebounds per game in 19.9 minutes of action a night. In a way, Holland served as the reserve version of Ausar Thompson for Detroit last season considering his disruptive defensive instincts, the authoritative way he runs the break and his relative ineffectiveness in half-court offensive sets.
From a stylistic sense, Holland performed as a back-door slasher around the baseline who attempted rogue corner threes but did not have many mid-range elements of his game to offer. Since Holland shot just 25.3% from downtown last year, the lack of a mid-range game was detrimental to his overall effectiveness when the game slowed down.
Until Holland develops a more reliable jumper, it is difficult to contextualize Holland and Thompson in different boats considering all the similarities in their game. The Pistons were able to support two players of that archetype last season, but Holland’s playing time eventually cratered during the playoffs, and he even picked up a few DNPs towards the end of Detroit’s run.
But in the offseason, Holland has been busy in the gym in order to round out his game as more of a scoring threat with the ball in his hands. Since that element of Holland’s game was missing last season, the emergence of a consistent jump shot would give Detroit another viable asset as a three-and-D wing to use at their discretion.
Entering the season, it looks like John Collins is the most likely candidate to assume the vacant starting power forward position with Tobias Harris no longer in the mix. In that case, Holland could realistically serve as an understudy at the four while serving spot duty at the three depending on the lineup. Of course, the Pistons also have Taurean Prince, Kevin Huerter and Javonte Green to work into the mix as well, so Holland has a healthy amount of competition for minutes heading into his third year as a pro.
In recent weeks, Cade Cunningham set up a players-led mini-camp out in San Diego for the Pistons to get acquainted with all the new players who joined the squad over the summer, so Holland has already had a chance to build some rhythm and chemistry with his teammates ahead of training camp.
