Have Warriors Found Gold in Surprise Contributor Justin Holiday?

The NBA is always full of a litany of surprises, none bigger this season then the loud arrival of the Golden State Warriors. At 33-6, the Warriors sit atop the basketball world, dominating the opposition at a breakneck pace.

Even in surprises, however, constants abound. Stephen Curry has been as good as advertised, Draymond Green is as fiery as ever and Klay Thompson is swishing three-point shots as the world expected him to do. All three of these players are major components to the rise of Golden State.

Still, for as dominant as the stars have been, credit for their scintillating start is widespread. Role players have stepped up and previously thought non-factors have blossomed, none more so than Justin Holiday.

Wait, who?

A product of the Washington Huskies, Holiday scratched and clawed his way to relevance even in the collegiate ranks, bettering himself every season and transforming from a little-used backup in his freshman campaign, to the Pac-10 (now 12) Defensive Player of the Year his senior year.

His rise up the college ranks was not enough to woo NBA teams, however, as Holiday went undrafted in 2011 and bounced around multiple NBA and overseas teams the next two seasons. Meanwhile, while Justin struggled to find his groove, insult was added to injury in the form of his younger brother, Jrue Holiday, who flourished in the NBA from the get-go. 

Not until he was signed by Golden State did Holiday truly get a chance, and so far, he has not disappointed.

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Holiday was brought in as a last resort, the backup to the backup guards, buried in the depth chart behind Leandro Barbosa and Shaun Livingston. Garbage time would be his only opportunity to shine, and he made the most of his opportunities.

With the Dubs throttling their opponents on a regular basis, Holiday found himself playing a plethora of meaningless minutes. In the grand scheme of things, though, those minutes proved to be a blessing in disguise, as Holiday knocked down his jumpers at a blistering pace and forced Steve Kerr to insert him into the rotation.

While his minutes sit at a paltry 11.3 per game, it’s the most recent history that shows Holiday’s stock is on the rise. The last 10 games have seen him playing 16.1 minutes a contest, and his production has skyrocketed in the process. He’s shooting nearly 46 percent from the field in that span and given the Warriors 7.5 points per game, major production from a formerly unknown entity.

Holiday’s play has not gone unnoticed from his superiors, as heaps of praise has rained down over the up-and-comer, particularly from Warriors’ general manager Bob Myers himself, courtesy of Monte Poole of CSN Bay Area:

"

I see increased confidence in his game. You know, there's confidence in the Summer League. And there's confidence in the D-League. But being confident on an NBA floor is different. He was a confident D-League player. He then became a confident Summer League player. And now we're seeing signs of a confident NBA player.

His progression has been a very positive thing for us. That was a void, a shooter off the bench. And so if he can continue at this rate, stay consistent, it might alleviate that concern.

"

Myers’ words were reinforced by Kerr, who acknowledged the rapid ascent of Holiday, albeit at the expense of some his teammates, again courtesy of Poole:

"

I love having (Barbosa) on the team; he's the first guy off the bench to cheer for his teammates. Right now, it's just Justin's time. I've given him the chance and he's made the most of it.

"

Unlike Barbosa, who started the season on fire but cooled off considerably as the season went along, Holiday has shown uncanny consistency. While Barbosa once again finds himself in the rotation, it's no longer at the expense of Holiday. Livingston is now the odd man out and Holiday is the first option off the bench. 

With stifling defense and the ability to make teams that cheat on Curry and Thompson pay, Holiday's role continues to define itself. When the stars are in, he simply spaces the floor. When he's the primary guard, he attacks. He's proven to be confident in either situation and has earned increasing minutes because of it. 

For Holiday, just being in the NBA has been a dream come true, but the fact that he's become a contributor on the league's best team has sweetened the deal even more, via Carl Steward of the San Jose Mercury News:

"

It's a blessing just to sit on the bench and watch this team play. So being able to actually play and contribute is finishing my dream.

"

There’s no telling how good Holiday can be, but in a season that has been nothing short of magical, it’s no surprise that the Warriors managed to find a diamond in the rough. Add him to the seemingly never-ending list of Golden State surprises.