What is Aaron Holiday’s future with the Indiana Pacers?

The Indiana Pacers don’t have a surplus of promising young talent on the roster right now. Between trading their 2020 first-round pick to acquire Malcolm Brogdon, consistently drafting around the 20s, and then being hit or miss on those picks, it isn’t that much of a surprise.

But what is surprising, and possibly concerning, is that the Pacers most important young player in Aaron Holiday is playing only 19.7 minutes per game.

Aaron Holiday remains a question mark for the Indiana Pacers?

Aaron is 24 years old and has one more year after this season on his rookie deal. Many, including myself, thought this was going to be the season that Aaron took another step forward on this team after the flashes we saw in the bubble.

There were discussions about whether he or Lamb would come off the bench first, and what role T.J. McConnell would have on this team due to the assumption that Aaron would be running the second unit.

But now those conversations look ridiculous, mostly because McConnell and Lamb have been really good, but also because Aaron is having the worst statistical season of his career. He is generating career lows in rebounds, assists, blocks, field goal percentage, two-point percentage, and free throw percentage. He’s also shooting only 35% from beyond the arc, down from 39% last year.

Even with all of those career lows, where he’s at in the rotation and the responsibility he is tasked with on the team should be a point of concern. He is the Pacers’ best young player that also has the easiest path to an important role, yet it doesn’t seem like this coaching staff even trusts him to run the offense.

In the absence of T.J. Warren and Caris LeVert, this team has struggled with shot creation, and this is probably the best opportunity to see what Aaron can do with the ball in his hands. Once everyone is healthy, it’s possible to have two of Brogdon, LeVert, Warren, or Sabonis on the court at all times which would drastically limit Aaron’s opportunities to create.

And yet, in a game without Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert, or T.J. Warren, T.J. McConnell is played 46 minutes rather than give Aaron that responsibility.

Even though it is only one game, it still says something. McConnell is 28 years old, in the last year of his deal, and we know his limitations. I find it hard to believe that McConnell is such a core piece to this team that his playing time is made a priority over developing Aaron as an on-ball player.

If McConnell is viewed as a core piece of this team moving forward, that’s fine. It comes with its own set of issues in the postseason, but there is no denying he is a winning player in the regular season. However, I think it would be a disservice to Aaron as a player, and the team from an asset management standpoint, to not give him more opportunities to prove himself while the team is trying to find its footing.

Not every player on the roster is meant to be a part of the team long term. Priorities change as transactions are made, and players develop or stagnate. If this Pacers team doesn’t project Aaron to be a key part of the future as more than a spot-up shooter, it might be better to see if there’s a team willing to give assets to make him part of their future.

These Pacers have a decent list of areas that could use some attention: a well-documented lack of wings, even with LeVert and Warren healthy, is a massive need. The defense has been somewhere between iffy and outright bad as of late. Only three players are shooting above league average from three. They’re currently sitting at 29th in the NBA in total rebounding. No one on this team really collapses the defense as a driving threat.

Maybe getting fully healthy solves some of these issues, but certainly not all of them. There also isn’t one move that can solve them. Honestly even using Aaron Holiday more as an on-ball player could solve some of those issues as he gains more confidence, especially if he can get back to shooting 39% from deep.

I believe in Aaron as a player and want him to be a core part of this team. But if he’s going to be relegated to being just a spot-up shooter, it could be time to remove the ‘untouchable’ tag that has been associated with him for three years and try to address some of the issues this team has in preparation for the future.