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Pistons Top Pick Makes History In Career Game

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Detroit Pistons No. 5 pick Ron Holland

Thanks in large part to a career night from 2024 No. 5 pick Ron Holland II, the Detroit Pistons defeated the New Orleans Pelicans without 2021 No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham, who has rapidly ascended the ranks of the NBA’s top point guards.

Pistons Pick Ron Holland Makes History In Career Game

Coming off the bench, Holland recorded 26 points, six assists, five rebounds, and one steal in 36 minutes. The rookie forward led the Pistons in minutes, points, assists, made field goals (10), and free-throw attempts (11). To be clear, he only set a career-high in minutes, assists, and free-throw attempts on Sunday evening. However, he tied his career-high in points in what was undoubtedly his best all-around performance.

In fact, Holland became the first teenager in NBA history to record at least 25 points, five assists, and five rebounds in a game and have no turnovers (h/t StatMamba).

The 19-year-old began the game looking for his teammates more than his own shot, finding them with live dribble passes. By the end of the game, he had launched an all-out assault on the rim, penetrating the paint without much difficulty. That was the only easy part of it though, as Holland finished a number of acrobatic layups.

All the while, he stuck to his brand of energetic, hardnosed defense.

It was the closest that he looked to the player he was with the G League Ignite, when he averaged 20.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.5 steals per game. He left too many points at the free-throw line, going 5-11 from the charity stripe. But overall, there was way more to like than to criticize, especially with his team coming away with the victory.

Moving forward, Holland could get more opportunities to operate in a high usage role. When top picks play that well it’s usually rewarded with more trust. Furthermore, Cunningham was sidelined with calf soreness when they faced the Pelicans. The Pistons could play it safe, letting their All-Star rest a little longer so that he can be at full strength in the postseason.

That isn’t to say Holland is Cunningham’s understudy, so much as he’s also capable of making a multidimensional mark as being a featured scorer.

And-1

The Pistons are within 1.0 game of the Milwaukee Bucks for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference standings. In what’s been one of the best storylines this season, they currently have their best win percentage (.555) since 2007-08. They’ve also won at least 40 games for the first time since 2018-19.

Detroit Basketball is back.

© Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

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