2018 Late First-Round Pick Re-Signs to the Rockets

This past NBA season, 2018 late first-round pick Aaron Holiday was the backup point guard to Fred VanVleet. Although the Rockets didn’t make the playoffs, they made an exponential jump from the previous season when they finished near the bottom of the Western Conference with a 22-60 record. Houston improved 19 games and ended the 2023-2024 regular season with a 41-41 record. The Rockets have an opportunity to compete for a Play-In or even a playoff spot if they continue to grow, however, they may have to climb the rigid mountain known as the Western Conference without Holiday as he became a free agent at the end of the season. Today, it was reported that the 2018 late first-round pick has re-signed on a two-year deal with the Rockets. 

Holiday started off his NBA career being drafted as the 23rd overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft being selected by the Indiana Pacers. He played three full seasons in Indiana before being traded to the Washington Wizards during the 2021 offseason. Only a couple of months later, the 2018 late first-round pick was traded to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for cash considerations. After his time in Phoenix, Holiday signed with the Atlanta Hawks, but slowly started to lose minutes in the rotation as his former Pacers head coach Nate McMillian was fired, and his brother Justin Holiday was traded midway through the season. The Hawks would be eliminated in the first round of the 2022-2023 NBA Playoffs by the Boston Celtics. This prompted Holiday to leave the Hawks and sign with the Houston Rockets. 

Last season, Holiday played in 78 games with the Rockets. In nearly 16 minutes a game, he averaged about seven points, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal. On December 6th, the 2018 late first-round pick dropped a season-high of 22 points during a 110-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. At 27 years of age, the Rockets hope Holiday can be a formidable backup point guard.