Miami Heat Playoffs: Justin Holiday is free agency target worth scouting

Indiana Pacers wing Justin Holiday could fill some needs for the Miami Heat

The Miami Heat are always active in the free agency market. It’s Pat Riley’s bread and butter. A far more reliable and exact science for talent acquisition compared to the NBA Draft, Riley has mastered the art of selling pro players on the culture the Heat promote day-in and day-out.

Their ongoing series against the Indiana Pacers could be a bit of a tryout for Justin Holiday to get some coin from the Heat this offseason.

Holiday could be a great fit for the Heat given that Derrick Jones Jr. is coming off the books. After making his name known in Miami due to his high-flying offensive play (and a controversial Dunk Contest win), he could be snagged by any other team vying for his services.

Another player coming off the books with two-way impact in the short time he’s been on Miami’s roster so far is Jae Crowder. An extremely intelligent, defender, Crowder is a great ancillary offensive weapon, too. He’s hitting 44.5 percent of his threes and averaging 9.9 points per game as a member of the Heat. He’ll be a huge part of a postseason push that is at-risk of leaving.

With Giannis Antetokounmpo and the rest of the big names entering the market in 2021, Riley may look to fill the squad’s holes with some stopgap players around the core of Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. A player like Justin Holiday could fit that bill.

Similar to Derrick Jones Jr. in build (slender, lengthy), Holiday is a great 3-point shooter (40.5 percent beyond the arc this year) and an extremely versatile defender. Holiday can guard positions 1-through-4, and can even pick up the five in some small ball sets.

Moreover, Holiday has great instincts, with active hands in passing lanes and shows supreme awareness on the defensive end. He makes incredible reads that allow him to jump out in front of passes. Though he has a lighter frame, Holiday is no pushover. He’s got a strong ability to fight over screens and stick with his man.

Here are some clips of Holiday’s defense that will make you want to pay this man. He also has the second-best defensive box plus/minus on the Pacers, a team that allows the third-least points per game in the NBA.

Could Justin Holiday’s new agent pull some strings?

To add to it all, Justin Holiday, according to Chris Haynes, has switched agents and now has representation from the same person as Jimmy Butler. It doesn’t mean the Heat are necessarily one of the likely landing spots, but players within the same agency talk to their agents. Butler loves Miami, and it could impact Holiday’s perception of Miami.

It could be a win-win for Miami and Holiday.

Holiday’s most likely lading spot is back with Indiana. As the Pacers continue with their own short-term build around Victor Oladipo (another free agent in 2021) they, too, need to sign short, impactful free agents. Furthermore, Holiday’s brother Aaron is on the Pacers, which may be advantage: Indy if it comes down to two teams.

With plenty of money to spend this summer and it likely to be used on one-year deals, Holiday might be a great target for Miami, especially given that the Heat may be losing both Derrick Jones Jr. and Jae Crowder to free agency.

Making less than $5 million this season, even an affordable $7 million deal could win Holiday over, but the Heat likely won’t even have to dig that deep in their pockets.

While he’s been a journeyman player, he’s really found his way over the last year in Indiana, and can contribute in a big way to a winning team coming off the bench.

The Heat have a minimum of four games against the Pacers. Goal one is to win, but the Heat can use it as a great scouting opportunity for opposing players that fit their needs as well.