Indiana Pacers: Ranking the last 10 first-round picks

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - APRIL 23: Paul George #13 and Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers react in the second half of Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on April 23, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Cavaliers defeated the Pacers 106-102 to sweep the series 4-0. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using the photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

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NBA Power Rankings Indiana Pacers /

5. Aaron Holiday

Aaron Holiday is yet another member of the pipeline that brought UCLA Bruins to the Pacers (see: Leaf, T.J.). Holiday showed the most promise among them as well, although his grip on a role with the team may be slipping.

Holiday was selected with the 23rd pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. There wasn’t much of an expectation for Holiday to play as a rookie due to the team’s guard depth, but Holiday took advantage of injury opportunities and forced his way into 50 games. He played in 50 games, averaging 5.9 points per contest and shooting 33.9 percent from three.

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He has shown improvement on both ends of the court in 2019-20, averaging 9.4 points per game and even starting in 26 games while boosting his three-point average to 39.4 percent. Again, he was taking advantage of opportunity, in this case, Victor Oladipo‘s absence at the start of the season.

But when Oladipo returned, Holiday’s playing time waned, with some DNPs thrown into the mix. The guard is great at stepping into the limelight but hasn’t yet warranted the trust to be a consistent part of McMillan’s rotation. Depending on Oladipo’s playing status for the restart, Holiday may be closing in on another opportunity to show out – or to be forgotten once more.

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