Justin Holiday is New York’s X-Factor

At 27 years of age, Holiday joins his fifth team since entering the NBA in 2012-13. Through 121 career games (nine-Philly, 59-Golden State, 26-Atlanta, 27-Chicago), Holiday has played in some of the league’s largest cities. Now coming off his best statistical stint with Chicago in 2016, during which he posted career-high averages of 6.5 points on 41.3 percent shooting and 43.3 percent from beyond the arc to go with 2.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 19 minutes per game, Holiday could be set to see a serious spike in minutes.

Considering the talent on the Knicks’ roster last year, New York did well to fill out the team with more potential as Kristaps Porzingis grows and Carmelo Anthony ages. Trading for Derrick Rose seems questionable at best and Joakim Noah’s grinding may have finally caught up to his body,  but adding Brandon Jennings, Courtney Lee, and Justin Holiday on reasonable deals helps provide depth that was severely lacking last season.

There’s an argument to be made that Jennings is in fact the X-Factor, especially with Rose’s life in limbo and the Knicks’ need for a pass-first point guard–which Brandon embodied in his final healthy month prior to suffering a torn Achilles in January 2015 as the Pistons ripped off seven straight wins for the first time in what felt like forever. Lance Thomas has made steady strides in his game, and he should be a big part of the bench rotation. However, in my humble opinion, Holiday will be the key piece for New York’s second team, which may make or break the Knicks.

Lee and Anthony can only shoulder so much of the 96 minutes at the 2 and 3 positions, and Thomas might be better-suited as a small-ball 4 against some lineups. Holiday has the defensive ability and outside shooting to fill a huge need for the Knicks as the premier 3-and-D guy off the bench filling in at both the 2 and 3. If the former Husky can hone his defensive ability and prove capable of covering multiple positions, he will provide new coach Jeff Hornacek a lot of leeway when it comes time to building rotations and making in-game adjustments.

Fellow TLM writer Quentin Haynes wrote about how Holiday could provide value for the Knicks earlier this offseason prior to the fireworks of free agency. Even if New York rarely use Anthony at the 4, this appears to be Justin’s big chance to shine at the NBA level. A diet of 20-plus minutes per night is not out of the question early on, and that number could rise as the season progresses.

Sometimes getting more minutes merely puts one’s weaknesses into the limelight, but on other occasions it helps to increase confidence and translates into noticeable improvement. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time someone broke out this late in their career when given a shot, and it certainly won’t be the last. Those that work hard year after year, day after day, tend to be rewarded. Holiday has been blessed with great genes, an NBA career, and a wonderful family, but it’s his own hard work that has gotten him this far.

Whether he goes on to play another five-plus years in the NBA or not, Holiday is New York’s X-Factor this season. A breakout campaign as a role player off the bench could help catapult the Knicks into the playoff pool while earning him a deal to remain in the Big Apple long term. For a player who has bounced around as much as a basketball over the last several years, a newfound sense of job security could be on the horizon for Holiday in the near future.