Entering December, the Houston Rockets (8-8) have elevated from a bottom-tier lottery team in recent years to a potential 2023-24 playoff squad after an offseason spending spree that included acquiring Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks and hiring Ime Udoka as head coach.
Rockets guard Aaron Holiday, who was among the veteran free agent signings for an otherwise young Rockets team, recently spoke with HoopsHype insider Michael Scotto about how those veteran newcomers have worked to change Houston’s culture.
Other interview topics include whether the NBA is still sleeping on Houston; the development of Alperen Sengun; how Holiday has taken advantage of his own opportunity with the Rockets, and more.
Now 27 years old, Holiday averages 6.1 points (45.2% FG, 35.1% on 3-pointers) and 2.0 assists in 18.4 minutes as Houston’s backup point guard. He’s a trusted perimeter defender for Udoka, as well.
Transcripts of select portions of Holiday’s interview are available below, with the complete question-and-answer (Q&A) transcript available as part of Scotto’s latest NBA notebook at HoopsHype.
Q: Are you surprised by Houston’s play so far this season?
Aaron Holiday: No, I wouldn’t say I’m surprised. I think I noticed how good we were in training camp when we were competing and locking into the new system, coverages, and plays. I could tell then that we’d surprised a lot of people. I really meant that.
Q: Do you think now other players or executives around the league have noticed that, or do you still feel slept on a bit?
Aaron Holiday: I feel a little bit of both. We’ve played our best basketball at home. On the road, we have yet to win one, but we’re right there. We’re fighting neck and neck. It’s usually a couple of possessions to end a game on the road that we lose. I think we’re getting closer to people starting to respect us a little more. Obviously, when we come out with the defensive intensity that we have and our offense is clicking, we’re a tough team to beat.
Q: Are there any other reasons for the collective turnaround?
Aaron Holiday: We have a good group of veterans and a good mixture of vets and young guys with coach Udoka, who’s done a great job of mixing us together and having a great game plan. I feel like we’re never going into a game blindsided by anything. We usually have a great game plan, and we stick with it, unless we have to…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Rockets Wire…