DETROIT — As Ron Holland sits on the bench in the opening minutes of the Detroit Pistons’ game Monday night, he’s watching everything the Atlanta Hawks are doing.
He’s taking note of player tendencies, how they’re rotating players around and where key shot takers are finding their rhythm.
Holland may not be the first on the court, but the second-year forward doesn’t mind in the slightest.
If anything, he loves his job to snuff out an opposing offensive surge and be a catalyst for the Pistons to succeed as part of the “bench mob.”
“It allows me to slow the game down and be able to watch where I can really shine and being able to see what guys tendencies are and how I can just go in and make an immediate impact,” Holland said after [Detroit’s 99-98 win on Monday](https://www.mlive.com/pistons/2025/12/pistons-overcome-turnovers-absent-guard-for-narrow-win-over-hawks.html). “I definitely love coming off the bench with this team. It’s going to be nights like this where we start off kind of slowly. That’s what the bench mob is for. We get in and bring that spark and that energy that we need.”
Coming into the league as a 19-year-old lottery pick for the Pistons, Holland knew he wanted to get on the court early. He knew the path there wasn’t trying to play hero and take a dozen shots a night because “they got guys there to score already.”
Instead, there was a necessity to let his defense drive his game and allow that to make him a threat on the offensive end, getting out in transition and finding his shot.
Detroit’s win Monday night may have been one of the strongest examples of that as he clamped down defensively and finished with an incredibly efficient 17 points on 75% shooting, six rebounds and two steals in 17 minutes of game time.
“What I do best is making plays and just being able to come to this team and have that mindset on going to the game and guard, going to the game and make plays and everything is just going to come to me,” Holland said. “That’s what guys have been telling me since I became a Piston and it’s showing. I go out there and get a stop and when I’m in transition that’s when I’m in my best.”
Despite playing about 21 minutes per game, Holland ranks fourth in the NBA for steals. All but one player in the top-10 in the league for steals has played 100 more minutes than Holland this season.
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff credits the strong defensive play Holland has showcased this season due to his growing understanding of how to read an opponent and where their outlets are going to be.
Finding prime positioning defensively is huge for the Pistons and then they just rely on Holland’s impressive motor and energetic play style to not just push himself but the team as a whole.
“When he comes in the game and he’s in that flying around and aggressive mode, it uplifts everybody and you see everybody around him kind of ticking up,” Bickerstaff said.
Against the Hawks, Holland was doing it all, draining a corner three, forcing shooters into tough shots and using his physicality to get finishes in the paint down the stretch.
His teammates love it.
“He’s a guy who is still finding himself in the league, still finding his niche, but he comes in bringing energy every night,” center Jalen Duren said. “Whether it’s on the defensive end, whether it be on the offense, cut and get to the basket, guarding the best guard on the other team. He’s amazing. He’s been great for us all season, and I’m excited to see his growth.”
Holland just finds a way to get things done when he’s on the court. He tells himself “just make plays, five.”
While the offense isn’t there every single night, Holland doesn’t feel like that’s the indicator for what a good performance is in his sophomore season.
What he is conscious of is if he’s sparking his teammates and making plays, regardless of what end of the court it’s on when he’s out there.
“That’s the one thing that I’m kind of really listening to because I don’t need to score to have a good game,” Holland said. “I don’t need to do things that show up on the stat sheet for me to have a good game.”
But when they do show up, it’s hard to ignore a strong performance from one of the Pistons’ young playmakers.