Justin Holiday has signed a one-year, $4.8 million deal with the Indiana Pacers. He joins his younger brother Aaron as the second Holiday on the roster.
It’s official, folks. The Indiana Pacers now have two Holidays on their roster. As reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Justin Holiday has signed a one-year, $4.8 million deal to come to Indiana.
Free agent Justin Holiday has agreed to a one-year, $4.8M deal with the Indiana Pacers, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 19, 2019
While his career began as a journeyman, Holiday found his groove during his second stint with the Bulls in 2017. In his past season with the team (and subsequently the Grizzlies after a midseason trade), he averaged 10.5 points, 3.9 boards and 1.8 assists.
Shooting isn’t his strong suit, as Holiday has failed to reach the 40% line for FG% in the past two years (and four out of six years before that), but his three-point game has developed a bit: he shot 34.8% and 35.9% in the last two seasons. Those numbers aren’t anything to sneeze at, but he does excel at something that could potentially be just as important.
Volume.
Holiday shot 5.7 and 6.2 threes a game in his last two seasons as a starter, numbers that could only be comparable to Victor Oladipo (6.0) and Wesley Matthews (5.7) last year. Holiday wouldn’t get that same opportunity off of the bench, but someone that can create three-point opportunities in volume is something that the Pacers bench is always hurting for.
He isn’t an elite defender, but he has the size capable of guarding bench wings and can be more aggressive knowing Myles Turner and Goga Bitadze can make up for his mistakes. He averaged 1.5 steals last year, a number that could only be matched by Oladipo (1.7) and Thaddeus Young (1.5) last year.
Holiday also brings a veteran presence to the team, and not just as Aaron Holiday‘s older brother. Holiday, at 30 years old, is the oldest player on the team by a decent amount (McDermott, 27). He has plenty of experience in both starting and bench roles, and should be able to fit in snugly wherever in the rotation he is needed.
It’s also worth noting that Charania’s report indicated a bigger role for Aaron:
Justin Holiday will unite with his brother, Aaron, on Indiana and receive strong opportunity on the Pacers' wing. Aaron Holiday is also expected to make a leap with an elevated role next season. https://t.co/P6ZwHFxn04
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 19, 2019
The Pacers now have two of the three Holiday brothers in the NBA, with Jrue Holiday still stationed in New Orleans. Indiana has a bit of a history with similar player names, so we’ll have to wait and see if Kevin Pritchard gets on the phone with David Griffin.
All in all, Holiday is a solid addition to the Indiana Pacers’ bench, and likely the last major free agent acquisition of the summer. He and his brother should both be key elements of the rotation.