New York Knicks: Re-Signing Justin Holiday Should Be A Top Priority
1. Defense
It would be fair to state that no player on the New York Knicks performed with a high level of defensive consistency in 2016-17. Even the stars put forth a questionable effort, and that was the story of the season in its entirety.
New York ranked No. 23 in points allowed per game and No. 25 in points allowed per 100 possessions, but Justin Holiday was one of the rare exceptions to the previous claim.
During the 2016-17 regular season, 10 members of the Knicks received at least 1,000 minutes of playing time from head coach Jeff Hornacek. Of those 10 players, only one amassed a Defensive Rating of 105.0 or better: Holiday.
On a league-wide spectrum, Holiday ranked No. 5 in Defensive Real Plus-Minus amongst the shooting guards who averaged at least 20.0 minutes per game.
Holiday’s ability to defend high-quality scorers in isolation, as well as his off-ball defense, were of tremendous value to the Knicks. Considering he provided those traits when no one else was defending, it stands to reason that he’d be even more effective on a better defensive team.
If Phil Jackson manages to help the Knicks improve on defense, then Holiday could play at an even higher level moving forward.
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The New York Knicks need defense. The New York Knicks need to re-sign Justin Holiday.