Pistons' Ron Holland names Mikal Bridges, Jaylen Brown as his role models and explains why: "Can definitely see myself playing like that" (Exclusive)
Even if he would play in a Summer League game that most would likely forget, Detroit Pistons rookie forward Ron Holland battled nerves as if he were competing in a high-stakes game.
It conveyed how much Holland wanted to make the Pistons franchise proud for drafting him at No. 5 after playing with the G League Ignite.
Holland isn’t nervous about a seemingly taller task, though. Despite the Pistons (14-68) finishing with the NBA’s worst record last season that included a league-worst 28-game losing streak, Holland projected confidence that he will contribute to the franchise experiencing a dramatic turnaround.
“I really think we’re going to win a lot of games this season. I think it’s going to be a huge step in the right direction with starting to make the playoffs and the Play-In,” Holland told Sportskeeda. “Hopefully we end up getting a championship these next few years.”
Holland talked to Sportskeeda about a number of topics, including his strong defense and how he plans to become a consistent shooter. Holland also detailed how Kevin Durant, Kevin Garnett, Mikal Bridges and Jaylen Brown have influenced his game.
Ron Holland opens up on his NBA potential and idols he aims to emulate in his game(Exclusive)
Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed
How do you think you have fared in Summer League so far?
Ron Holland:
“Good. I’ve just finally been able to get used to being back on the floor. I haven’t really played a game since Jan. 31. I underwent thumb surgery. But I’m back healthy and back out there playing basketball. I got the first game under my belt. It felt good. I was very anxious. It’s the NBA. It was very nerve-wracking. It’s something that I’ve been dreaming about since I was a kid. But I got the first game under my belt. I’m pretty comfortable now, and am ready to put on a show.”
With all the nerves you had, what was the buildup like leading into the game?
Ron Holland:
“It’s a different type of lifestyle now. It’s more strategic. It’s more professional now. You got a lot of stretching that you have to do before games. There is a lot of professionalism that goes with playing in the NBA. It’s just something that I got a good look at with Ignite. Ignite definitely prepared me for this situation. The nervous part of it is that it was my first showing since January. I’m 19. I want to put on a show and show why I deserve to be a top pick and why I deserve to be drafted here and be able to play high minutes and everything. I want to show the world what the Detroit Pistons is getting.”
You said after the draft that you didn’t get a sense that you be drafted at No. 5. How have you processed that since then?
Ron Holland:
“I’ve been dealing with it fine. I’m not putting pressure on myself or anything. If I had gone 13, 11 or 1, it would’ve been the same thing. I’m getting in the gym every single day. Nothing changes about my habits or anything, I’m just going out there and trying to dominate as much as I can and listen to my coaches and vets every single game.”
Now that you’re with the Pistons, how do you tackle this opportunity and challenge to help them turn their franchise around?
Ron Holland:
“Once [J.B.] Bickerstaff became the coach, he talked to me about being myself. That’s about bringing the leadership qualities that I have and the winning mentality that you have. Then you have guys like Cade Cunningham. They’re putting a lot of great dudes around us. I think they’re building this team to be a franchise that can really turn things around. I really think we’re going to win a lot of games this season. I think it’s going to be a huge step in the right direction with starting to make the playoffs and the Play-In. Hopefully we end up getting a championship these next few years. I definitely think I’ll be in the rotation just because of what I bring to the table. I’ll be able to do whatever Coach needs to be to do, whether it’s off the bench or just for a few minutes. Any opportunity that I get, I just want to play hard and will do whatever it takes.”
To clarify, you see getting into the playoffs or at least the Play-In as a realistic goal this season?
Ron Holland:
“For sure. I think everything is possible. We got the right group of dudes. We have the right mentality. We have the right coaches. Everybody around us have the right mentality about everything. Now it’s just time to get in the gym and work with those guys. Hopefully we can get it done.”
I read in another interview that J.B. told you to be the best version of yourself. What does the best version of yourself look like?
Ron Holland:
“A high-energy level dude that is leading the team. As a young player, someone who is really listening to the vets and doing whatever it takes to work hard. I think that says a lot. For me, once my energy level is high, everything will work out for itself. I’m rebounding. I’m defending. I’m doing whatever it takes to win. I feel like I’m definitely going to gain a lot of respect from the vets just by doing that. They already love me as a person off the court with what I bring to the table and the kind of guy that I am.”
Your defensive acumen and the way you play hard, how did you develop those skills?
Ron Holland:
“I really don’t know the answer to that. But it’s my willingness to win. I know what it takes and I know what has to be done most of the time when it comes to winning. I don’t like losing. I don’t ever want to lose. When it comes down to it, if I have to dive on the floor, whatever it takes. I’m willing to do it. A lot of that is just listening to the vets and being in the gym. The vets aren’t going to tell you anything wrong. They know what it takes. They’ve been there. Everybody has been 18 or 19 before, so they know what it takes. So it’s just about listening to them and applying it to the game. It gets you a lot of respect. It also helps you because if you listen to what they’re telling you and you’re seeing the results change, it definitely helps your career out a lot.”
I heard your pod with KG, and you said one of your goals is to shoot more consistently. What are you doing to address that?
Ron Holland:
“Getting a lot of reps. Not having a really professional shooting coach all of these years, I started with Ignite when I really started to pay attention to my shooting. It’s going to be a lot of reps. I don’t have a bad form or anything. It’s just going to be me repping it out and finding out what’s comfortable and keeping that consistent. Then I feel like things will really turn around for me.”
I understand the Pistons hired Fred Vinson as a shooting guru. Are you working with him?
Ron Holland:
“Day one, we got in the gym. We’ve been in the gym every single day. One thing I can say that he said is, ‘This is going to be really fun.’ Seeing where I am today and where I’m going to be in the future, I’m going to have much more control over the ball when it comes to shooting and things like that. A lot of it is just confidence. He sees that I have the confidence to shoot the ball. I’m not going to start turning down open shots because I missed a few shots. That’s a huge part of it right there. I’m ahead of the game right there. A lot of it will be reps and me being comfortable with it.”
Another goal you mentioned to KG is about being able to move onto the next play. What will it take to do that?
Ron Holland:
“What it takes to do that is understand that it’s a long game. A lot of the vets that I’ve had the last year and the vets we have now, a lot of them have said that same thing to me. It’s a long game. I’m starting to see that now. All of these things happen. I’m talking about it, and I feel like it’s the end of the world. But it’s just the second quarter. We got a whole two more quarters to go. It’s a really long game. There is room to mess up. But there is also room to go on runs and have a lot of good things. That all adds up to not being too high or too low with this thing.”
Speaking of KG, you mentioned that he and KD are your idols. What is it about them in particular that gravitated to you?
Ron Holland:
“KD was so entertaining to watch coming up as a kid. I was just honored. I say this for a lot of players – everybody wanted to be him when we were kids. Kevin Garnett, his mentality on the floor and his passion for the game on and off the court. I really see myself applying that to the game of basketball. I really love his approach to the game of basketball. To be able to get the opportunity to talk to him, I was super blessed for that.”
What do you imagine your first KD matchup will be like? [NBA will release 2024-25 schedule sometime in August]
Ron Holland:
“It’s going to mean a lot for me. It’s going to be different. But hopefully I make it tough for him. KD, as tall as he is and as skilled as he is, I think it’s going to be a fun one. I’ve been watching him. He’s been super entertaining for what he has done for the game of basketball. But in that matchup, I think it’ll be pretty fun.”
You also mentioned Mikal Bridges and Jaylen Brown as players you want to model your game after. How so?
Ron Holland:
“Mikal Bridges, when I watched him when he first entered the league, he was strictly a 3-and-D guy. He guarded the team’s best player every single night. When it’s time to hit shots, he can hit shots. I can definitely see myself playing like that with my rookie year. I’m not doing too much with the ball, but I’m cutting and making the right play every single time and doing whatever it takes to win. If I got to pick the best player up full court every single night, that’s what I’m here for because I’m doing whatever it takes to win.
With Jaylen Brown, every offseason he has added something to his game. He’s a right-handed player and loves to go right. But he can also go left. He makes the right plays. He really stepped up his defensive intensity this year. It got him an NBA championship. I definitely see myself in those two a lot. I think that has a lot do with me knowing my personnel and with me knowing myself.”
You’ve mentioned how Ignite gave you a window into what the professional day-to-day routine is like. How so?
Ron Holland:
“I can name a lot of things. But the most important thing I would say is that you’re playing basketball and the physicality part of the game. There were a lot of older dudes and a lot of vets that were in the G League. The G League has a lot of good dudes in there. I got a chance to play against a lot of those dudes. They gave us a good bump and good physicality. It really helped us mentally, knowing that you can’t get too high or get too low in this thing. It’s a really long game. Teams are going to go on runs and things that are going to happen bad or good. You just have to stay level to keep things flowing. Hopefully you can then come out with a win.”
Unlike in college, playing for the G League was the whole part of your day. What was a normal day like?
Ron Holland:
“Me coming from high school, my thing was ‘Go to school, go home and I’ll be back at 7 o’clock for a high school game.’ Then I jump to professional basketball with Ignite. With Ignite, a day was pretty much waking up, going to the gym, getting stretched and getting shots before the game. Then coming back that same night. You were just preparing for the game. Ignite prepared us because it gave us little glimpses on how the NBA is going to be.”
How did the adversities also impact you with the losing and your injury?
Ron Holland: “There’s no secret that Ignite did a lot of losing. I think that definitely prepared us a lot. We weren’t getting too high or too low. There were games that we started off hot on a 10-0 run and then we ended up losing the game. You have to stay level-headed. It’s a really, really long game. I think that the young players, including myself, once really understood that a lot of things that happen during the game, it doesn’t really matter what happens right after a possession. Another thing will happen, right? You have to leave things alone and not let them snowball.”
What was your reaction to Ignite ending its operations?
Ron Holland:
“I thought it was a pretty good program. I thought it gave intel, information and knowledge that young players needed to be able to be successful in the NBA. So it definitely was surprising to me. Another thing for me – Dink Pate was a two-year player and so I was definitely nervous for him because I didn’t know what his next step was going to be. But now he’s with the Mexico City Capitanes. I’m super proud of him. My time had been done, and I had been injured after the news. So it was more for me to keep Dink mentally healthy. He couldn’t declare for the draft because he is a young dude and a two-way player. So I wasn’t a vet. But I was his dude. We both grew up in Dallas together. I was the person that he leaned on and looked up to. I talked to him about ‘Controlling what you can control and not letting this bother you. Keep hooping in the gym and God will work everything out for you.’”
I read that you’re looking forward toward matching up with Matas [Buzelis] with the Bulls after playing with him with Ignite. What was that partnership like?
Ron Holland:
“I’ve been playing against Matas since high school, and I got a chance to play with him with Ignite. I think we bonded really well. We complemented each other’s games really well. Off the court, we got along really well. I think me and him were really competitive people. That’s one of the reasons we get along really well. Matas is a good dude, and one of the best teammates I’ve ever had. This matchup on Tuesday [at Thomas & Mack Center at 6:30 pm ET] will mean a lot just because I’ve been playing against him and had a chance to play with him. It’s a brotherhood thing. It’s going to be all love before the game. We’re going to go after each other during the game. And then after the game, it’s going to be all love again. It was amazing. We were two competitive athletes going at it. There were times we were against each other, and times that we were on teams. We tried to make each other better every day, and make each other around us better.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.