Edited photo of Aaron Holiday, original photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Aaron Holiday is Coming into Focus

When Aaron Holiday finally was able to get just a smidgen of playing time, fans were finally able to see just what he can be.

When Victor Oladipo went down with an injury, for a brief moment, the Indiana Pacers were at a dark time. But very quickly, the darkness was illuminated by the bright light that is rookie point guard Aaron Holiday.

Aaron Holiday checked in against the Atlanta Hawks for his first rotation minutes of the season. He immediately did this:

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From that moment, it should have been known that this kid is fearless, effective, and useful. To pull up from three after checking into the game like that is a death sentence if you miss. But he was confident and hit it, and the Pacers never trailed the rest of the game.

Flash forward a handful of games, and we are seeing a star bloom. Since his inclusion in the rotation, Holiday is averaging 11.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game in under 20 minutes per night. For a rotation player, that is solid. For a rookie point guard playing only  6 games with meaningful minutes, that’s fantastic.

And it isn’t empty stats. His PIPM is +0.17, above average for any player, nonetheless a rookie. Holiday has impacted the game positively on both ends of the floor so far, with a +.01 OPIPM and +.16 DPIPM. His length, savvy, and skills allow him to be impactful despite having less NBA experience than most of the guys he shares the court with.

Amongst rookies, Holiday is 7th in PIPM. Not bad for a guy drafted in the 20s, eh? The early returns in the stats suggest that Holiday is better than the normal late first-round pick. And the eye test agrees.

He looks smooth yet assertive with all of his decisions. His shots are effective and calculated – 74.6 percent of them come from either 3-point range or at the rim. And that effectiveness is showing up early in his finishing – he’s hit 11/16 shots at the rim. 68.8 percent is a good percent for a big man, and Holiday is having no trouble thanks to his length.

Holiday has been a skilled ball-handler as well. All three of his live-ball turnovers have been traveling violations, he has yet to cough it up after putting the ball on the floor, something I personally thought he would struggle with. When all of his dribbles end up being non-negative plays and his drives to the rim end up being efficient shots, you get a lethal combination:

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Holiday’s defense has been basically exactly what a rookie point guards defense is supposed to be. In totality, it hasn’t been polished, but thanks to his length, he has had more good plays than bad. He plays solid team defense for his age and can be a pest with his active and engaged hands. But he does have some tough plays where he looks like a rookie. It is what it is.

Very few rookies have a positive DPIPM. Even if he ends up showing growing pains on that end of the floor at some point this season, the early returns are very encouraging for his defensive profile as he ages.

He has a confidence and a swagger about him not present in most guys his age. He understands both that not being passive but not trying to do too much is important for both his growth and the team’s success. As a result, he makes tons of positive and unselfish plays:

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To reject the initial screen in the DHO, then immediately reset and attack going the other direction is already a veteran play. To then keep the ball on a string and make a cross-court pass when the weakside help steps into the paint is unheralded skill from someone with as little experience as Holiday.

For a rookie throw into important minutes with a 24.6 percent usage rate (currently higher than that of Chris Paul, Jamal Murray, Jimmy Butler, and Ben Simmons), Holiday has performed far above expectation. Not only is he developing and showing off his potential, but he’s also providing important contributions for the Pacers now. And he’s only going to get better.

*Stat accurate as of 11/28/2018

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