Detroit Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff met the media at the team’s media day on Sept. 28, and one of the most interesting players on his roster entering the 2026-27 NBA season is Ron Holland.
Holland is entering his third NBA season. He was the fifth overall selection in the 2024 NBA Draft by Detroit. He has come off the bench for the first two years of his career and is set to open 2026-27 in that same role, though there is a chance his workload grows.
Bickerstaff Puts Ron Holland’s Role on Himself
Asked about Holland as the 2026-27 season approaches, Bickerstaff did not hedge about why the forward’s role has bounced around, per Omari Sankofa II. He said,
“He’s had a difficult journey for being a number five pick, right? Normally, those number five picks are guys that just end up on teams that aren’t really competitive, and they get to play 30-plus minutes, and that just wasn’t the situation that we found ourselves in. There’s been some up-and-down in his role, and again, that’s my responsibility and definitely 100% on me.”
The coach also pushed back on the idea that Holland is a defensive piece and nothing more, according to the Detroit News.
“I don’t want to put Ron in a box and say ‘You can only play defense,’ right? That’s not who he is. He’s got an offensive game, where he can get to the basket, he can finish at a high level. So again, expect him to be more aggressive, expect him to find his spots more. He’s been working tirelessly on his shot, shooting it with more confidence and belief. So we expect him to have an impact for us this year.”
Holland played in 78 games last season and averaged 19.9 minutes per game. He put up 8.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.3 blocks a night, per ESPN. The postseason was a different story: his minutes fell to 6.6 per game across nine playoff appearances, which is the inconsistency Bickerstaff put on himself.
Just 21 Years Old
The Pistons are built around young talent, and Holland is only 21 with room to grow. Detroit went 60-22 last season, the third-best record in franchise history and the franchise’s first 60-win year since 2005-06, and took the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
That is the backdrop for Holland’s third year. Minutes on a 60-win team get earned, and a bigger role in 2026-27 will come down to the leap his coach is asking for.
