Golden State Warriors Sign Justin Holiday
Over the summer, the Golden State Warriors kept busy signing a few NBA Summer League standouts. Although the Dubs had a pretty quiet offseason other than adding Shaun Livingston and Brandon Rush to the backcourt, the Warriors made a few under-the-radar signings by inviting Aaron Craft, James Michael McAdoo and Mitchell Watt to training camp on partially guaranteed contracts. But until just recently, Justin Holiday‘s name hadn’t been on the list.
That changed when the team announced on Monday it had signed Jrue Holiday‘s older brother Justin to a contract, though the terms of the contract were not disclosed. Holiday will now have the opportunity to compete with 16 other Warriors players at training camp for one of 15 spots on the roster.
Holiday was a stud for the Warriors during Summer League, averaging 14.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game on 41.7 percent shooting. He was able to use his length, size and decent jump shot to make big plays on both ends of the floor for the Dubs, including a couple of clutch plays at the end of games. Against the Phoenix Suns, Holiday dropped 29 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks in 32 minutes. He shot 9-for-15 from the field and made the game-winner after grabbing a hustle rebound on a miss.
Of course, he did. Justin Holiday hits a jumper for an 88-87 lead with 4.9 seconds left. Lacob and Guber are cheering like it's a title game
— Rusty Simmons (@JRustySimmons) July 15, 2014
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Against the Los Angeles Lakers, Holiday finished with 26 points, three rebounds, two steals and two blocks and would have added another game-winner to his Summer League resume, knocking down a jumper with 6.1 seconds to play, had it not been for Jordan Clarkson’s tip-in that gave Los Angeles the win.
The only problem is, Justin Holiday has already shown he’s plenty capable of playing well during Summer League and D-League games before, but he’s struggled on the big stage. In the 2012-13 season with the Idaho Stampede, Holiday impressed by averaging 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.4 steals per game. But with the Philadelphia 76ers that same season, Holiday only put up 4.7 points, 1.7 assists and 1.6 rebounds per game in nine appearances.
Last season, Holiday played professionally in Hungary, averaging 12.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game with Szolnok.
With a 6’6″ frame and a 7’0″ wingspan, Holiday has the size and the speed to defend his position. Unfortunately, that shooting guard position is a little bit crowded between Klay Thompson, Brandon Rush AND Leandro Barbosa on the roster, so Holiday will definitely have his work cut out for him. Head coach Steve Kerr knows firsthand what Holiday can bring to the table in terms of pure scoring ability and defense, but it’ll be a battle for him to beat any of those players out for a spot on the roster.
Spots will already be scarce with Craft, McAdoo and Watt recently invited to training camp. The fact that Holiday was signed last also isn’t encouraging for his chances of impressing the Dubs and earning some real NBA minutes. At 26 years old, Holiday may already be approaching his prime, so the time for breaking through is definitely now. With a pure jump shot, the ability to attack the basket and that wingspan helping him on the defensive end, he’s got a shot. Unfortunately, that shot may end up looking better with a different NBA — or possibly even D-League — team.