NBA Rookie Rankings: 5 guys who will matter in the playoffs

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 10: Landry Shamet #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on against the Detroit Pistons on December 10, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – NOVEMBER 17: Aaron Holiday #3 of the Indiana Pacers brings the ball up the court in the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on November 17, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

3. Aaron Holiday

Aaron may be the smallest of the three Holiday brothers in the NBA, but he’s still going to have a significant playoff role for the Pacers. He doesn’t play a ton for Indiana right now, but there’s a serious chance his minutes will increase as time goes on.

Victor Oladipo obviously shoulders a massive amount of the responsibility to create offense for this team. As it stands, that responsibility shifts to Holiday when he’s off the floor. The UCLA rookie is only playing 11 minutes per night, but he’s averaging 5.6 points per game in that brief amount of action.

The numbers don’t lie. Holiday is a microwave scorer off the bench. It’s easy to envision him getting hot for a single playoff game or two. He plays the game with zero fear. That kind of attitude tends to help players perform well when the lights are at their brightest.

The only thing that might derail Holiday down the stretch is if the Pacers elect to swing a deal for a more established bench scorer. That’s unlikely given the assets currently available to them, but it’s not something we can rule out entirely. No matter what, Holiday should get his chances in the postseason.

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