Aaron Holiday may be a hidden gem for Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers have had the early portion of the season riddled by injuries. As a result, head coach Nate McMillan has had to go deep into his bench. The injuries have shown Pacers fans that they may have an underrated player in Aaron Holiday.

This Season So Far

The Indiana Pacers did not expect their season to start in the fashion it did. After losing their first three games of the season, the team has been on an 8-3 stretch.

That stretch is pretty impressive for the number of injuries the team has had to endure in this early portion of the season.

The Pacers have had Myles Turner, Malcolm Brogdon, Jeremy Lamb, Domantas Sabonis, T.J. McConnell, Goga Bitadze, Edmond Sumner, and Victor Oladipo all out of games this season due to injury.

Even though Oladipo is rehabbing from surgery, the other seven Pacers that have been ruled out of games are all a part of the rotation. With most of the rotation out of sync, Coach McMillan has had to deploy several different lineups in order to keep the team above water.

The injuries have shown that the roster has depth at multiple positions. One surprise has been JaKarr Sampson.

Sampson has performed better than expected and has shown why he was worthy of a roster spot to start the season.

But another player that has stepped up for the team is Aaron Holiday.

Why Aaron Holiday?

The loss of Sumner and Lamb early in the season led to Holiday earning more minutes on the floor, and an eventual spot in the starting lineup.

With the most recent injuries to  Brogdon and McConnell, Holiday is now a key piece for the Pacers.

According to NBA.com, in his seven starts this season, Holiday has averaged 14.1 PPG, 5.1 APG, and has shot 45.6 percent from the field.

In all of his other appearances this season, he averaged 4.8 PPG, 2.2 APG, and shot 19 percent from the field.

Either McMillan told Holiday to start shooting with confidence or the point guard has finally found rhythm within the starting lineup due to extended minutes.

As his numbers keep rising, so will his playing time later in the season, one would think. The growth of Holiday is something the Pacers should keep an eye on moving forward.

If he can develop into a consistent performer, he could potentially lock down a starting spot in the lineup until Oladipo’s return.

Are There Any Other Surprising Players This Year?

With looking at Holiday’s progression this season it is important to mention his older brother has also been a bright spot for the Pacers.

Justin Holiday is a rare “3 and D” type of player.  A reason why his services were coveted by the Pacers in the offseason.

Last season, the Pacers did not have a collection of guards that could play solid and sound defense outside of Oladipo. Once he went down, the Pacers struggled to defend the perimeter. Justin Holiday helps alleviate that issue.

The presence of Justin has added a new wrinkle for opponents in game-planning against the Pacers. Justin Holiday is averaging 6.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and just under 1 block and steal per game. Expect Justin’s numbers to improve with time as well.

Witnessing the growth of Aaron Holiday has required patience, but Pacers fans are finally starting to reap the benefits of integrating the former UCLA Bruin into the rotation.

Hopefully, for the Holiday brothers, the best is yet to come.