He is the youngest of the Holiday brothers, but also the least known, and incidentally, the least well paid. This summer, Aaron Holiday joined the Rockets for the minimum salary, and he was one of the experienced players that Ime Udoka wanted to recruit to supervise the younger ones.
Having played for the Pacers, the Wizards and even the Suns, he is the model teammate, used to playing understudy and his role is to make Fred VanVleet or Jalen Green breathe, in competition with the rookie Amen Thompson.
But ultimately, he turned out to be the perfect joker, to the point of being the 6th scorer on the team, the most skilled at 3-pointers, and on Wednesday, he really hurt the Thunder with 22 points coming out of bench.
Two lost balls in 12 matches!
” He is huge ! » Ime Udoka ignites. “When we spoke with him during free agency, what we liked about him is that he is always ready, very professional… He's another guy who complements the group well, whether it's with or without a ball. He has the shooting ability, sure, but also the defensive tenacity. He is a guy who has experienced all situations, who can start matches if necessary, or be an excellent substitute as he is currently. »
Against the Thunder, Aaron Holiday broke the defensive barrier with a 6 of 7 3-pointers, but what is appreciable is that he has sure hands: only two lost balls in the last 12 matches ! Since Amen Thompson's injury, he has played 20 minutes per game. Aaron Holiday is the most used backup, and he hasn't played this much since 2019, his second season with the Pacers.
“You never know what will happen during the season,” he recalls about his role. “It’s a long season. Obviously my role is to come off the bench and defend, take open shots and make others play. This could be my role until the end of the season, that’s for sure.”
A “3-and-D” in the lead
Aaron Holiday has become so important in the squad that Ime Udoka no longer hesitates to play with three “little ones”: Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green and Aaron Holiday. A formula that appeals to Fred VanVleet since he occupied an identical role with the Raptors alongside Kyle Lowry.
“It changes the dynamic,” estimates the Houston leader. “It gives us an extra ball handler, an extra shooter, and another player who can defend. It also depends on what the other team does, like when they play “very small ball.”
As for whether Aaron Holiday fears the return of Amen Thompson, expected in the coming days, that is not the case. He even believes that they are complementary.
“It’s always good to have two ball handlers on the floor, and it helps that he’s 6’2”. He can defend against several players, and I think it will be a good thing to play together.”
| Aaron Holiday | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2018-19 | IND | 50 | 13 | 40.1 | 33.9 | 82.0 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 5.9 |
| 2019-20 | IND | 66 | 25 | 41.4 | 39.4 | 85.1 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 9.5 |
| 2020-21 | IND | 66 | 18 | 39.0 | 36.8 | 81.9 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 7.2 |
| 2021-22 * | All Teams | 63 | 16 | 44.7 | 37.9 | 86.8 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 6.4 |
| 2021-22 * | W.A.S. | 41 | 16 | 46.7 | 34.3 | 80.0 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 6.1 |
| 2021-22 * | PHX | 22 | 16 | 41.1 | 44.4 | 93.9 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 6.8 |
| 2022-23 | ATL | 63 | 13 | 41.8 | 40.9 | 84.4 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 3.9 |
| 2023-24 | HOU | 16 | 19 | 50.0 | 43.5 | 85.7 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 7.4 |
| Total | 323 | 17 | 41.6 | 37.6 | 84.1 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 6.6 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
