For a long time, we thought that the Pistons were going to trade their 5th pick in the Draft. The roster is very young, and it seemed more judicious to get a good veteran to support Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren or Jaden Ivey. Finally, they surprised everyone by selecting Ron Hollanda formidable athlete, expected to go between 10th and 15th place. In the summer league, the former winger of the Ignite Team in the G-League rather lived up to expectations with 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2 assists on average. This is much better than some players drafted higher, but his lack of outside shooting was also confirmed and we understand better why the Pistons went for Fred Vinson, the shooting specialist with the Pelicans.
“I mainly focused on catch-and-shoot, shooting on the move, dribbling attacks and movement without the ball.” he confirmsbefore discussing defense. “I'm focusing on defense because I know that's what will keep me on the field this year.”
This summer, the Pistons replaced Monty Williams with JB Bickerstaff, and the former Cavaliers coach led the Cleveland franchise to a top-four finish in the East with a big defense. Highly ambitious, Holland wants to do everything he can to seduce his coach.
“I want to win Rookie Of The Year, and my work ethic will pay off.”he warns. “I’m here to do whatever Coach Bickerstaff and all the other guys on the staff need me to do. Whether it’s defending, making shots, getting shots to other guys… Whatever it is, I’m ready and able to do it and I feel like I’ll be available to do it. I’m going to do my best and to do that, I’m going to learn and listen to the veterans, and that’s what I’m really looking forward to doing.”
