Justin Holiday may not play a glamorous role for the Indiana Pacers, but that doesn’t matter. His play this season has been vital for Indiana’s second unit.
The Indiana Pacers are now just over the halfway mark for the 2019-2020 season. They have managed a 31-22 record and the 5th seed in the East without their best player, Victor Oladipo, until the very end of January. Although the team has struggled to find its rhythm since its stars return, their position is a surprise to most people.
This is a Pacers team that lost eight free-agents from last season and hasn’t been fully healthy until now. Of course, they had to get to where they are somehow. One of the more less talked about signings this summer was 30-year-old Justin Holiday. His play has contributed greatly to this team’s success largely due to his consistent scoring for Indiana’s second unit
Although his scoring totals don’t stand out in the box score (he averages only 8.2 points per game), there are nights his punch is the reason for victory. A big reason for this is his three-point shot. He is currently converting on 41.1 percent of his shots from deep, which is up eight percent from his time with Memphis last season. This uptick has him sitting at 18th in the NBA in 3-point percentage, three spots behind his younger brother Aaron Holiday.
Now it may not seem all that crazy, but the important thing to note is on the other side of the court is Doug McDermott, who is currently at 3rd place in the NBA while shooting 44.9 percent. Justin showed his three-point ability last Wednesday night against the Toronto Raptors, making six of his nine 3-point attempts.
This is where Justin’s ability to space the floor plays a big part in the success of first-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis. Teams have to stay spaced out when he plays with the second unit, the lane is almost always an option for Sabonis. The big man can run the pick and roll to perfection, and when he gets doubled there is normally an open Justin Holiday (or Doug McDermott) on the perimeter, one of the key reasons the bench unit is so scary.
Along with his scoring, the older Holiday’s defense this season has been solid. He usually is very active, especially late in the shot clock. It becomes troublesome for opponents when they have to worry about the hustle of Justin and T.J. McConnell at the same time.
Having no quit is huge for a second unit. They have to do their part to keep the pace of the game, or on some nights, take control of a sloppy game. Leading by example is big with Justin Holiday and his presence on the bench has definitely been felt this season.
Beyond the stat sheet though, Justin Holiday’s impact on younger brother Aaron, who has been in and out of the rotation this year due to various injuries around the team, is an added bonus most teams don’t have available. As one could imagine, having an older brother around would probably make you feel more comfortable with in-game struggles, playing time, etc. Being able to have Justin help in this regard is huge for the development of Aaron.
Although he is only signed for this season, Justin Holiday’s impact has been huge for this team and I’m sure many fans would agree they’d love to see him in a Blue and Gold uniform next season as well.
This Pacers team will have to take time to get adjusted to their fully healthy roster, you just can’t get everything to click without time to build chemistry. Thankfully for Indiana, the front office assembled a great group of unselfish players this off-season, who are willing to make sacrifices for the teams’ success. That makes any adjustment much easier for everyone involved.