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Justin Holiday has been playing exceptionally well in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. In his third Summer League game this summer, he hit the go ahead basket with 6.1 seconds to go, but Jordan Clarkson’s tip in to beat the buzzard took robbed Holiday and the Warriors from their 17th victory in a row. In the second game against the Suns, he scored 29 points and snatched 13 rebounds, leading the Warriors to victory.
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The older brother of New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday, Justin is a 6-foot-6 shooting guard from the University of Washington. Holiday wasn’t selected in the 2011 NBA Draft, which created detours on his road to the NBA. First, he went overseas and playerd for Okapi Aalstar in Belgium for the 2011-12 season. Since October of 2012, Holiday has been signed by the Cavaliers, Trail Blazers, 76ers, and Jazz. Although he’s been unable to stick to one particular team, he hasn’t given up on his dream on becoming an effective NBA player. With his perseverance and determination, he is appearing in the Summer League for the second time looking to get an opportunity to make a roster.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLQjsrRGsHo
Thus far, in four Summer League games, he’s hoisted 19 three point shots and made seven of them. This aspect of his game came in his last season at the University of Washington. In his senior season, he played with Isaiah Thomas the newly acquired point guard by the Phoenix Suns. Thomas’ role was to set up the half court offense and Holiday was asked to become a catch-and-shoot type of player. As we can tell, he maximized his ability to shoot and has flourished in that role.
In his two seasons overseas in Europe, he has won two championships: The Belgian Cup and Hungarian Cup. He only got to see the NBA floor while playing for the Sixers in the 2012-13 season. He appeared in nine games and averaged 4.7 points and 1.7 assists in almost 16 minutes of playing time. Coach Kerr seems very comfortable with giving Holiday the green light, especially in situations when the team needs a basket. Having Kerr coach in the Summer League may help his case as the two become acclimated with one another.
After losing the chance to repeat as Summer League champions, there’s one game left to play on Friday. Holiday seems to have distinguished himself as a player capable of staying in the league. At this point, he’s led the Warriors in scoring with 18 a game. Friday will be his last opportunity to let his game speak for itself, let’s see if he can leave a lasting impression on the Warriors and the the rest of the NBA scouts.