Pistons' J.B. Bickerstaff praises Ron Holland after career-tying game: 'He was phenomenal'
Detroit Pistons forward Ronald Holland II had a career-high-tying performance in a winning effort on Sunday, and the rookie earned praise from coach J.B. Bickerstaff afterward.
Holland produced 26 points, six assists, five rebounds and one steal in a 136-130 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at Little Caesars Arena. He went 10-of-14 from the field in a season-high 35 minutes off the bench without Cade Cunningham (calf) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (ankle).
The fifth pick became the fourth teenager in franchise history to have multiple 20-point games in a season (19 years, 259 days). He had 14 points alone in the fourth quarter to help the Pistons stave off the Pelicans down the stretch.
"I think Ron Holland was fabulous tonight," Bickerstaff said. "He kind of got the feel that we were in a little bit of the mud ourselves and couldn't get ourselves going, and he took it upon himself to bring us some life and energy. I thought he was phenomenal on both ends of the floor."
RON HOLLAND II TIES CAREER HIGH, LEADS DET TO THE WIN 🔥
— NBA (@NBA) March 23, 2025
26 PTS
6 AST
5 REB
10-14 FGM
The 2024 No. 5 draft pick brings the @DetroitPistons within 1 game of the Bucks for the 5 seed in the East 👀 pic.twitter.com/d6lxEY5WxM
Holland previously reached 26 points and three rebounds in 21 minutes on Dec. 12 in a 123-99 loss against the Boston Celtics. Unlike that outing, the performance on Sunday came at a time of need in a back-and-forth affair to help the Pistons win for the third time in four games.
The former G League Ignite standout delivered several clutch shots over the last 12 minutes of the game to seal the win. He was pleased to affect the game on both ends of the court.
"It feels really good to be able to just go out there and hoop," Holland said. "That's one thing I be doing: I just be out there playing, enjoying myself and having fun. One thing about this is it is a long season -- there are a lot of ups and downs -- but I'm just going to continue to have fun and realize where I'm at and just enjoy every single second of the day."
Holland is averaging 6.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and one assist on 47.2% shooting from the field in 72 games this season with the Pistons. He leads the NBA in appearances off the bench (71) and is one of 13 players to appear in every game so far this season.
He has scored in double figures in three out of his last four games, averaging 13.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals on 67.7% shooting from the field. Holland has earned the trust of his teammates and is satisfied to come up with a strong effort on Sunday.
"Coming into the season as a rookie, my main focus was to let them know that I'm here to play hard every single night in practice and games," Holland said. "I just want them to know that I have their back as much as they have mine. That could be tough sometimes, but I know it is trust from (president) Trajan (Langdon) down to the players. The culture around here is amazing."
This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Pistons news: J.B. Bickerstaff praises Ron Holland after latest game
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