Warriors Have Found A Hidden Gem In Justin Holiday

By: Yama Hazheer

Teams who start out the season 30-5 play exceptionally well; there is no question about it. The Warriors have had Stephen Curry elevate his game to heights Warriors fans haven’t seen from a star player in decades. Draymond Green has been playing lights out and all of a sudden is worth that expensive price tag that will be put on him this summer. And Klay Thompson has made Jerry West and Steve Kerr look like even smarter basketball minds after they let the front office know they want no part of Thompson being dealt in exchange for Kevin Love. However, the cameos that turned into regular appearances of Justin Holiday are quickly stealing some shine in Oakland.

-== Top Five Signature Performances of Early 2014-15 Season ==-

Rush has been disappointing in his return to the Bay Area, hardly doing anything to earn minutes in a game. Leandro Barbosa has found himself in the doghouse after a solid few games to start the season. Andre Iguodala has not lived up to the expectations that Warrior fans have had for him. At one point, Kerr did not have a choice and went with giving Holiday some minutes. Little did he know that the last guy to make the active roster would turn out to be key rotation player within the first 30 games of the season. Holiday played good enough in his short stints off the bench to warrant himself more playing time in Kerr’s rotation.

The older brother of New Orleans Pelicans star guard, Jrue Holiday, Justin knew what was needed out of him in order to succeed at an NBA level. He was signed to the Philadelphia 76ers roster in the 2012-13 season and played on the same team as his brother. But to little avail, the older Holiday was cut from the team after just 9 mere games. Despite going through a year with no NBA games under his belt, Holiday made a Warriors roster that already had depth at the wing position. The 25-year old played hard to make the team.

Most Warrior fans saw their first glimpse of the guard during the open practice Golden State held in October prior to the start of the season. He left fans in awe with his ability to get above the rim with his athleticism. He made them laugh with his humoristic singing during the rookie hazing at the end of open practice. Dub Nation had a minor idea of what to expect from Holiday. It is safe to say he has exceeded those expectations.

Although shaky at first, Holiday got things going for him. His three-point jumper starting falling, he showed his abilities as a capable defender with his 7-foot wingspan, and he even demonstrated that he could finish on the fastbreak. Holiday has now become a favorite of the coaching staff. Kerr always mentions how important it is to play guys when they are playing well, even if that means cutting into some minutes of guys who normally get it. Holiday has already leap-frogged over Barbosa in the rotation. He is one of the first few players off the bench in games, especially when Thompson gets into foul trouble.

His current stats won’t blow you away, but Holiday has been in a groove since December 22nd of last year when he dropped a career high 18 points against the Sacramento Kings. Although the New Year just started, Holiday is shooting over 50 percent from the field and beyond the arc. He is nearly averaging 9.4 points per contest and two steals in 18 minutes over his past five games. He is doing that in meaningful minutes and not during garbage time at the end of games. For a player who was expected to see more time on the floor for the Santa Cruz Warriors as opposed to the professional team, it’s safe to say the Golden State Warriors have found a hidden gem in Justin Holiday.

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