Atlanta Hawks: Grading The Offseason
Holiday In Atlanta
People may not remember this now, but a few years ago, DeMarre Carroll was an unproven 3-and-D prospect. Well, everyone knew he could defend, but nobody was sure he could actually supply the “3” part of being a 3-and-D wing.
Justin Holiday, a rarely used bench player on the NBA champion Golden State Warriors, fits the bill as a logical replacement to Carroll given that he finds himself in the exact same boat that Carroll was in a few years ago.
Just spoke to Justin Holiday (@JustHolla7). On joining Hawks: "I like the system. It's similar to what we played in Golden State."
— Chris Vivlamore (@CVivlamoreAJC) July 10, 2015
Holiday is a lanky, long wing who has shown a willingness to compete on the defensive end, but he must also prove he can spread the floor from three-point territory after shooting 32.1 percent from deep last season. At age 26, the older brother of Jrue Holiday isn’t done developing, but as he transitions from last year’s best Western team to its best Eastern squad, he’ll have his work cut out for him.
That being said, a two-year deal worth just under $2 million could easily be a bargain if Atlanta is able to maintain its excellent track record of developing talent and finds a way to coax more efficient three-point shooting out of him.
Grade: B
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