Dec 28, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Ronald Holland II (00) shoots the ball over Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) in the second half at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Ron Holland Reacts to Strong Showing in Pistons' Season Opener

Originally posted on Detroit Pistons on SI
By Kevin McCormick | Last updated Oct 24, 2025 8:55 AM ET

After not making any drastic changes in the offseason, one key storyline for the Detroit Pistons remains the growth of the young core. Based on how he looked in Wednesday's season opener, Ron Holland looks poised to step up more for the team in year two.

Holland, who the Pistons drafted fifth overall in 2024, showed a lot of promise as a rookie. Following an offseason of training, he came back a noticably improved player. He kicked things off with a strong showing in Summer League back in July and has managed to carry that momentum into the regular season.

Due to a sluggish start, the Pistons found themselves trailing for most of the night against the Chicago Bulls. They managed to make things interesting at the end, but came up just short. Josh Giddey and company were able to take care of business, handing Detroit a 115-111 loss.

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Though things didn't end up going their way, there were still some positive takeaways for the Pistons. One of the biggest being the play of Holland. In 26 minutes of action off the bench, he ended the night as the team's third-leading scorer with 19 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists.

After the game, Holland was asked about his first showing in his sophomore campaign. While it wasn't enough to get his team in the win column, he still felt good about how he looked against the Bulls.

"I felt like I had a really good showcase tonight," Holland told reporters. "But just me playing in transition, my teammates doing a good job of finding me and me doing the same thing. I feel like it was a lot of team basketball out there and the ball was just finding me tonight."

“I felt like I’ve had a really good showcase tonight.”

Ron Holland II speaks on his performance against the Bulls, where he scored 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting. #Pistons pic.twitter.com/bDPrgdsIYo
— Coty M. Davis (@CotyDavis_24) October 23, 2025

Holland feeling this confident heading into the season is big for the Pistons, given their current circumstances. With Jaden Ivey still out in the short term, Detroit needs viable scoring options behind Cade Cunningham. Following his strong play in the season opener, the second-year forward looks ready to step up and help fill the void.

Following this tough loss, the Pistons will attempt to get their first win of the season Friday night against Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets.

This article first appeared on Detroit Pistons on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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