NBA Draft 2018 News: What Should Fans Expect From UCLA Bruins' Aaron Holiday?
Holiday recently announced that he is entering the 2018 draft
With the NCAA Tournament nearing its conclusion, the time has arrived for many college players to make decisions regarding their future and whether they want to take their chances in the NBA or return to campus for another year.
UCLA Bruins guard Aaron Holiday was one of those players who made his decision recently, and the 21-year-old has opted to go pro.
Holiday had what was probably his best year with the Bruins this past season, as he became the featured player for the team and handled the additional responsibility pretty well.
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Going by college production, Holiday could probably make a case to be a lottery pick in the upcoming draft, but because there's more to being a prospect than just putting up numbers at the collegiate level, there are varied opinions regarding where he should be selected.
Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler has Holiday as the 15th overall pick in his mock draft, and that's one of the higher rankings the guard has received.
Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley has Holiday being taken with the 25th pick in the draft, while the folks at NBADraft.net have him dropping out of the first round altogether, though he's still their 31st selection.
It's telling that the analysts have some pretty different takes on where Holiday should rank in this draft class and in all likelihood, that has more to do with the other prospects available.
Because Holiday's an upperclassman who's already been showing what he's been capable of over the span of three seasons at UCLA, scouts and analysts alike have a good idea now of what he is as a player.
The reason for his varied draft projections may be because there are analysts who believe there are other not quite as proven prospects who possess more upside than Holiday, while there may also be those who put greater stock into having a player who has a defined floor and ceiling.
It's easy to see Holiday having the same draft experience as someone like Malcolm Brogdon. Brogdon was another upperclassman who had a distinguished college career before entering the draft, but because he was an older prospect who seemingly had limited upside, he ended up being selected in the second round.
So what can a team expect to get from Holiday?
An earlier article from the Sporting News contributor Chris Stone highlighted Holiday's ability to finish at the rim efficiently while remaining as a threat from the outside. Holiday's a particularly deadly outside shooter when he can catch the ball in rhythm and transition directly into his shot.
Holiday will likely have some issues defensively as a pro, so he's going to have to maintain his level of offensive production to be a viable contributor.
The good news for Holiday is that there's always a place in the modern NBA for a player who can score well from inside and outside, so he should get a chance at the next level.
More news about other 2018 NBA draft prospects should be made available soon.
