After Saturday’s breakout performance, it seems like Aaron Holiday’s time on the bench will soon come to an end for the Indiana Pacers.
This is my second time writing this article. The old title was something along the lines of “Catching up with Aaron Holiday.” It was going to talk about the fact that he’s played limited minutes this year for the Indiana Pacers and his potential role going forward. And of course, we’d have the obligatory clips of his game film in there too (don’t worry, there’s more where that came from.)
Following the Pacers’ 97-88 win over the Atlanta Hawks, I have never been so excited to scrap an entire article and start anew. Of course, Aaron Holiday chose this night of all nights to break out. Taking advantage of available minutes due to Victor Oladipo’s injury, Aaron Holiday reminded us that he is in the building and is tired of sitting on the bench.
This isn’t Holiday’s first rodeo. It may seem like an eternity ago but back in the summer, we got Aaron Holiday vs Trae Young round one. The Hawks took that one on the back of Young’s 23 points, eight assist performance. On Saturday, Holiday won round two of the fight. Not only did he post an impressive stat line of 12 points, three rebounds, and two assists in only 15 minutes of play, but he also won the game.
After his stellar summer league performance, many fans of the Indiana Pacers figured Holiday would usurp the role of Darren Collison or Cory Joseph at some point in the near future, pegging him in as the point guard of the future. However, I can’t imagine that they would have guessed Holiday’s breakout performance would come on the 15th game of the season. As Thaddeus Young said, “He has done a really good job waiting his turn and staying poised.” It is clear that Holiday prepared for every game like it was going to be his night.
Aaron Holiday’s confidence was impressive in this game. Despite not playing any meaningful minutes this season before Saturday’s game, Holiday was calm and composed. Holiday was making plays akin to NBA veterans. Nobody saw this kind of performance coming from Holiday this early in his career and the Hawks’ themselves eloquently put all of our feelings into words:
Y’all sure that’s not Jrue.. pic.twitter.com/4za6MCTjBp
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 18, 2018
His brother is one of the best defensive players in the NBA, expecting Aaron Holiday to be anything like Jrue in the next year or so is unrealistic. However, he flashed some Jrue-esque plays on the defensive end, showing fantastic effort. Aaron himself told us that despite his lack of minutes to this point, “I’m going to play hard on both ends every night. So, whenever I get out there, just look for me playing hard.”
Despite his slight 6’1″, 190-pound frame, Holiday is effective on the defensive end because of his effort and 6’7.5″ wingspan. He pressures Jeremy Lin the whole way through this play, forcing a turnover:
Remember when Trae Young beat Holiday in the summer? Yeah, me neither.
On the offensive end, Holiday belongs because he believes he belongs. His confidence was exceptional, looking like a guy who has played in more than six NBA games. Just after entering the game, Holiday swiftly pulls up from three over Tyler Dorsey. This is the kind of shot players take when they have hit a few shots in a row, not right when they come in the game. This shot gave the Pacers a lead that they would never relinquish:
Aaron Holiday shows his IQ here, getting himself a wide open three. He knows that the best the best way to get open shots is to sprint to the three-point line after a drive and kick. In true Steph Curry fashion, Holiday catches Lin relaxing for a split second and exploits his relaxation for a wide-open triple:
Despite his lack of size, Holiday is functionally strong at the rim and uses his craftiness and touch to finish around the basket. Alex Len had no chance to block Holiday’s deft up-and-under scoop layup:
If his performance wasn’t impressive enough, Holiday pulled out his playmaking chops in the flashiest of ways. Attacking out of a Domantas Sabonis pick-and-roll, Holiday finds the roll man with the jaw-dropping behind-the-back feed:
Is Aaron Holiday going to usurp Darren Collison’s starting job or Cory Joseph’s backup job anytime soon? Probably not. But with this performance, Aaron Holiday has proven that he belongs in the NBA.
And if he continues to perform like this, Nate McMillan will have no choice but to find minutes for the rookie guard. The presence of Holiday could make Collison or Joseph expendable in a trade, netting Indiana assets and keeping pace at the lead guard spot. Whether this performance was the start of something glorious or just a flash in the pan, Aaron Holiday’s coming out party was great and I’m glad we were all invited.