SALT LAKE CITY — Justin Holiday was out of the locker room early to warm up for the second half Tuesday night, but an acrobatic halftime performer and his small dog were still occupying the court at Delta Center. So Holiday stood on the Nuggets’ sideline and enjoyed the rest of the show.
He’s the player on Denver’s 2023-24 roster whose role has been perhaps the least conventional, at least for a large chunk of the season. But his go-with-the-flow professionalism has proven to be a crucial element of his value to the Nuggets.
It’s a quality that may continue to be useful in the playoffs. Coach Michael Malone was noncommittal Tuesday when asked whether Holiday will have a place in Denver’s playoff rotation, reiterating his recent comment that bench lineups could be matchup-dependent rather than predetermined.
Maybe that means the Nuggets go nine deep more often than last year — Holiday would likely be the ninth guy. Or maybe it means Holiday will get a lot of run one series and barely any the next. Or maybe it means he just won’t play much at all.
Whatever the case, Denver’s bench is inconsistent enough that it’s a comfort to feature some variety.
If anyone has to be kept on a swivel, Malone is glad it’s Holiday.
“I trust him 100%,” Malone said. “He’s a veteran. He’s been around the league for a long time, and he’s proven in the one year with us, he’s proven himself to be trustworthy. Disciplined. Stays ready. Makes open shots. Guards. He’s done everything that’s been asked of him. For a while, he was a guy that would play if there was an injury, and then for the last month or so he’s been a rotation player for us.”
Indeed, Holiday has become part of Malone’s rotation the second half of the season. But the oddity in his usage was earlier. Holiday played a grand total of 36 minutes in Denver’s first 15 games. He was an end-of-the-bench reserve. Then Aaron Gordon, who plays an entirely different position and style, suffered a minor injury and had to miss four games. Holiday went from not playing at all to replacing Gordon in the starting lineup.
When Gordon returned, Holiday was in and out of the rotation for a few games — two DNPs in early December — until Kentavious Caldwell-Pope got hurt. Holiday returned to the starting lineup again.
“It’s not about me,” he told The Denver Post early in the season. “It’s about this team and what we’re trying to do together.”
With consistent playing time has come efficient production. Holiday has played every game since the All-Star break as a fixture of Denver’s second unit, making the most of his modest 15 minutes per game by shooting 42.9% from 3-point range on 2.2 attempts. He’s providing dependable if not exceptional perimeter defense when Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is on the bench. He’s well-liked in the locker room and throughout the organization. After one road loss, Michael Porter Jr. asked him for insight on what Porter could do better defensively, a sign of quickly earned trust among teammates.
As for his relevance in the playoffs? It might just be a go-with-the-flow thing.
“We’ll figure out our playoff rotation when they start, and a lot of it will depend upon matchups, who we’re playing,” Malone said. “But yeah, I have nothing but confidence and respect for Justin Holiday and everything he’s done and meant to this team.”
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