The Pistons are lucky to have a player of Ron Holland’s caliber coming off the bench
In only his second NBA season, Pistons forward Ron Holland II is proving to be an indispensable catalyst for Detroit off the bench when the team is stagnating. Last night, Holland came off the bench and acted as a spark plug for the Pistons in the second half of a 122-116 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Pistons had built a pretty healthy 65-58 lead at halftime, but Detroit came out flat in the third quarter and allowed the Blazers to get back in the game. From there, Holland began adding to his eventual 17-point total by hitting corner three-pointers and finishing tough, contested opportunities at the rim. Holland made a bevy of big plays that bailed the Pistons out of sticky situations against Portland, and he was key in swinging the momentum back in Detroit’s direction on Friday night.
“That’s the thing that we love most about Ron is his willingness to do whatever it takes to win basketball games,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the game. “He plays the game with a fearlessness. The way he attacks the rim, draws contact, can play through contact, always has a nose for the ball, seems to come up with the long ones, the loose ones, and then defensively taking challenges of all sorts.”
In the post-game press conference, Bickerstaff highlighted all the ways that Holland contributes to winning basketball for the Pistons. Holland is ready, willing and able to step up when Detroit needs a big play, and he seized the opportunity to do just that against Portland last night. Whether the Pistons need a key bucket or a physical, gritty effort on defense, Holland answers the call.
With an 18-5 record and a first place position in the Eastern Conference, the Pistons have demonstrated that they are a tough, physical squad that does not back down in pressure-filled moments. Bickerstaff has spoken in the past about how this team actually thrives in tense situations, and the proof is evident. Detroit has the most wins in the NBA of 10 points or less, so the Pistons are closing out tight games time and time again.
“There's an unwavering belief that we can [win], right? “We've been in so many of these games where they're close and tight down the stretch, and our guys have consistently been able to figure out a way to win it. It’s funny, we were having this conversation and they were talking about how much they like playing in these games and these types of games. And I told them they were crazy. I’d like it if we were winning by 20. But they do, they cherish the moment to do something big when it matters most, and I’ve got to give them a ton of credit for being able to pull it out.”
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Although Holland’s role has shifted from night to night depending on the flow of the game, Bickerstaff has deployed the second-year forward as an impact player off the bench. Holland has a nose for the basketball and a penchant for delivering when called upon, and these qualities jive with a Pistons’ unit that has needed his contributions off the bench to help secure multiple wins this year.
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