Justin Holiday on Strong Mavs Debut vs. Spurs: ‘I Think We Have Potential’
DALLAS — After trading away two essential role players in part of the deal to acquire Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets, the Dallas Mavericks needed to use the buyout market wisely to add a member to their rotation. While Terrence Ross was an initial target, Justin Holiday ended up being the signing.
Holiday made his Mavs debut on Thursday in what proved to be quite a successful one. Dallas routed the San Antonio Spurs 142-116, with Holiday scoring 15 points on 5-6 shooting from 3-point range. He played 21 minutes of action after playing a total of 10 minutes in two games since New Year's Day.
“I mean, I don’t come in and think I’ll go crazy," Holiday said of his performance. "My plan was to come in and play hard. I knew there were going to be open shots. Our team is so good that those open shots can go to anybody. I got a few looks, but if I get the looks, I’m pretty confident I’m going to make it.”
By playing alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, Holiday was a frequent beneficiary of open looks by spacing the floor from the corner. He felt it was helpful in gaining early confidence that carried him throughout the rest of the game. There was also an appreciation for the unselfishness within the unit at large.
“Those two generate a lot of open shots for guys and they are willing passers. So, if it was myself or anyone else, there’s going to be open shots to be had," Holiday said. "The beautiful thing about it is, I’m okay with it not being me and these guys are okay with it not being them. That’s the way you play as a team to be good when you have it for the next guy to get a shot. It’s hard for teams to beat that when you have that type of camaraderie and that type of feel.”
A particularly intriguing observation from Holiday was his confidence in the team's commitment to defense. He felt that even though he hadn't played alongside this group before the game, there was a trust in having teammates be in positions where they were supposed to defensively. There was a sense of having help.
“Yeah, a comment I continued to make when I was on the bench was ‘I feel like guys were there to help me.’ Guys were rotating and doing things, the things we were doing in practice. We know exactly what we’re supposed to do in certain situations. That’s the first step to being a good defensive team. I just think with a little more time, I think we have a lot of potential to do well on the other end.”
Holiday, who has been a key contributor as a veteran on countless teams, could earn spot starts as the Mavs test out various lineup combinations. In the meantime, he gets to play with his former teammate, Tim Hardaway Jr., who he played with as members of the Atlanta Hawks earlier in their careers.
“As I talked about, he can start here. Just to look at that, see how he does in a starting role," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. "He’s a pro, he’s been in the league, won a championship, he’s happy to be here and he’s going to do whatever it takes to help his team win. Tonight was a pretty good display, a little catch and shoot, open shots, and defensively I thought he did a really good job too."
By adding another long wing with shooting ability, the Mavs are able to fill a significant hole they had since moving Dorian Finney-Smith in part of the trade to acquire Irving. While Holiday's defensive impact isn't a direct replacement, going from a shortage of wings to adding a solid veteran option goes a long way.
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