The Detroit Pistons drafted Ron Holland with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft. A five-star recruit coming out of High School, Holland joined hosts, Justin Termine and Jon Crean, on SiriusXM NBA Radio. As the G-league player celebrated being drafted, he delved into his love for the Minnesota Timberwolves legend, Kevin Garnett.
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Having played for the NBA G League Ignite, Ron Holland’s physical and competitive style of play drew some comparisons to certain players but the 18-year-old only had eyes for one, growing up.
Ron Holland watched Kevin Garnett play in the NBA and he certainly fell in love with his game. Garnett’s approach to the game was to physically and mentally dominate his opponent.
“I definitely have a lot of passion when it comes to the game, if you know Kevin Garnett he does as well. I’ve definitely been watching him since I was a kid and hearing a lot of what he’s saying, how he handles situations, and his approach to the game.”
Known to be one of the greatest trash talkers, KG did not take any prisoners and left it all on the court. His energy and passion for the game dripped off of him every time he stepped onto the court. And that is something Holland has tried to instill into himself.
“I definitely see myself taking a lot of that and instill it into myself and just being able to go out there and play with that passion and learning how to control it and be able to just go out there and dominate and have fun while I’m doing it.”
“I definitely have a lot of passion when it comes to the game, if you know Kevin Garnett he does as well”
Ron Holland (@ron2kholland) tells @TermineRadio and @TomCrean why @KevinGarnett5KG is his favorite player.
Hear more from the #NBADraft: https://t.co/3BK4HBH0lL pic.twitter.com/U3VxGf6crF
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) June 27, 2024
Though a bit small when compared to Garnett, Ron Holland’s 6’7 frame does give him enough agility to finish fastbreaks above the rim. He might be undersized to play the average power forward position but Holland would be a great fit for the Pistons at the three.
One aspect of his game that has been viewed as troublesome is his jumpshot. But sharing the court with the likes of Bojan Bogdanovic is sure to improve his shooting skills going forward. So, Holland’s tenacity would be a great fit with the Detroit Pistons organization.
Ron Holland picking up his competitiveness from Kevin Garnett
This is not the first time Holland has expressed his love and admiration for Kevin Garnett. Holland had already created enough buzz ahead of the 2024 NBA draft, and admitting to following in the footsteps of KG only made him more alluring to teams.
As per SBNation, Holland had once mentioned how his mindset and approach to the game are influenced by The Big Ticket as he grew up watching and idolizing him.
“I idolized Kevin Garnett growing up. His mindset was just [about] how passionate he was, not only about basketball but off-court things, too. People thought something was really wrong with him, but it was just, nah, he just really loved what he was doing. He had so much passion for it.”
He further dove into his family background and how competitiveness was drilled into his DNA from the get-go. The 18-year-old added, “I come from a competitive family, and losing was never an option. Anything that had a score that could be won, it was competitive in my family.”
Given how the Detroit Pistons ended up as one of the bottom-dwelling teams in the East, having Holland pumping up his teammates with his relentless energy may end up turning the franchise around for the better going forward.
