Golden State Warriors: Justin Holiday Earning His Keep
Defense
The Warriors are a vastly improved offensive team from last season that shoots a large number of threes, but its identity still lies on the defensive end of the floor. Luckily, at 6’6″ and with a 7’0″ wing span, Holiday has fit in perfectly on that front, making sure there is no let-up off the bench for the NBA’s best defense.
He doesn’t force a lot of turnovers and he’s not a shot-blocker, but his footwork is good and his length gives his man problems on that end. Holiday is holding opponents to 36.5 percent shooting overall, which is more than six percent less than what those opponents shoot otherwise, per NBA.com.
If you can’t play defense, you can’t play for Steve Kerr. That might explain why Barbosa’s minutes have fallen off the map, but the good news is that between his confidence, three-point shooting and solid defense, Justin Holiday has earned his place in the Golden State Warriors’ rotation.