Still in the past few seasons, the Rockets have been looking for a good point guard player, and this season, they seem to have finally found a trustworthy candidate - Aaron Holiday - Holiday. Although Holiday seems to be a leak-level signing compared to his performance, his performance on the court is not inferior at all.
At the start of the season, Holiday was a substitute for VanVleet and Amen Thompson and didn't get much of an appearance. However, after Amen Thompson was injured in the game against the Hornets, Holiday became the Rockets' second point guard and has remained until now. His playing time has gradually increased, and his performances have become better and better.
In a recent interview with Hoopshype, Aaron Holiday was asked what he expects from the Rockets this season. "I think we're definitely going to make the playoffs, I think we're good enough, we've defended really well, I think that's what we're building on, we're competitive on the offensive end, and if we defensively get it right and do what we need to do, I think we're a very difficult team to beat," he replied. I'm sure we're going to make the playoffs this season!”
A lot of people will be surprised by the Rockets' victory and stellar performance, especially at home. But Aaron Holiday believes it's mostly because the Rockets are a great group and the players get along well. "That's a good thing in itself, and we really want each other to be successful," he said. ”
Over the past 14 games, Aaron Holiday has averaged 185 minutes, contribution 61 point 19 rebounds and 2 assists, shooting 452%, 35 three-point shooting1%。As a role player, he's already committed to helping the Rockets make the playoffs.
Hopefully, the base-salary point guard can continue to perform well and not break his word. In our opinion, Holiday is actually a "military order" for this season. The Rockets have the quality and talent to make the playoffs, but they really need to raise their level on the road. Otherwise, the team that will only play home games will have no future and hope.
The Rockets' next game will be against the Lakers, and in this game, the Rockets' VanVleet and Tate, the two ball-handling cores, will return to play. In the previous game, Holiday served as the main point guard of the Rockets, and in the next game he will return to the bench and continue to play his role as a three-point shooter + bench ball-handler.
Again, this season, the Rockets have relied on tough defense to gain a foothold in the league, which is the most appropriate tactic. After all, the Rockets have become one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, and their record has improved accordingly. And this season, except for the first game against the Magic, which lost by 30 points, the rest of the losing games, the Rockets fought with their opponents until the last minute, so it is not a problem for the Rockets to continue to play like this and enter the playoffs, which is also the common wish of Holiday and other Rockets players.