Ime Udoka had been giving bench guard minutes to rookie Reed Sheppard. It’s time to lean on the veteran Holiday now.
The Houston Rockets entered the 2024-2025 NBA season with one of the deepest rosters in the NBA. This depth has proven to be both a blessing and a curse. On the positive side, it means the Rockets can technically go 10 or 11 players deep into the rotation on any given night. While this luxury greatly helps the Rockets overcome any players missing time due to injury or just general player maintenance, it complicates things for many players toward the end of the bench. For example, Rockets forward Cam Whitmore has received few if any minutes so far this season before being sent to the G League.
The case is mostly the same for Aaron Holiday, however, unlike Whitmore, Holiday is a veteran and can contribute to winning basketball at the highest level. So far this season, rookie Reed Shepard has been the primary backup point guard but hasn’t looked confortable.
Sheppard has really struggled with something that was supposed to be his strength. He has a field goal percentage of 36.8 percent and is shooting only 32.1 percent from beyond the arc. This is surprsing of Shepard as his main skill coming into the NBA draft was his three-point shooting. Moreover, Sheppard has seemed hesitant and not confident when on the court, limiting his opportunities in the minutes he has gotten this season.
Compare this to Aaron Holiday who has been one of the more efficient Rockets all season in his limited minutes. Holiday returned to Houston for his second season with the team after re-signing this past offseason.
Last year, he gave the Rockets essential depth at the guard position. Amen Thompson and Fred VanVleet missed different points of the season, but Holiday stepped up and performed admirably in their absence. Holiday shot 38.7 percent from three-point range last season and averaged 6.6 points per game in the 78 games he played. He often finished games because Udoka had confidence in him making the right play.
In addition to being one of the Rockets’ best shooters, Aaron Holiday also takes exceptional care of the basketball. So far this season, Holiday recorded 20 assists and only 5 turnovers, resulting in an impressive 4-to-1 turnover ratio. This ratio is right in line with starter VanVleet’s and is excellent for any player but is the perfect one coming off the bench.
The factors mentioned above are why Holiday needs more than the 8.8 minutes a game he currently receives. A possible solution would be to send Reed to the G league to allow him time to get used to NBA players and get a chance to practice running an NBA offense, while the veteran Holiday helps steady the second unit for a Rockets playoff push. It’s Holiday time!