Indiana Pacers: 4 most underrated players on the roster
By Josh Wilson
If you asked a casual basketball fan to rattle off all the playoff teams in the NBA from memory, chances are the Indiana Pacers would be named close to last or left off completely.
Even though the team has overcome extreme obstacles this year to sit at the fifth-best record so far with the seventh-best defense in the NBA, the team is constantly overlooked outside of the midwest.
Maybe it’s the small market factor. Maybe it’s the lack of drama and therefore camera time.
Whatever it is, the Pacers are frequently overlooked as a team.
Players are often passed over, too. Let’s look at some of the most overlooked players on the team.
Justin Holiday has proven to be reliable for the Indiana Pacers
Somehow, Justin Holiday has had somewhat of a journeyman career. Maybe it’s just taken him some time to put the pieces together, but the product we saw on the floor this year from him was solid.
A lengthy yet quick guard, Holiday can slot into a multitude of positions depending on what the Pacers need.
His defense has been solid (he has the team’s second-best defensive box plus/minus this year) and his 3-point shooting has been second-best on the team. While he isn’t a volume shooter or scorer, he can be useful in the corners and good for a bucket here and there.
Holiday, since the new year arrived, has converted on over 47 percent of his 3-point attempts. He’s likely due for a decent contract this summer since his one-year deal with Indy is expiring.