'This is new to me': Justin Holiday on his remarkably good health and the possibility of missing time
The Pacers veteran has not practiced since his ankle injury, but says it's feeling better and that he's getting around just fine.
Justin Holiday may be the eldest player on the Pacers, but even he hasn’t been through every situation as a professional basketball player.
Miss a game … due to injury … what’s that about?
Holiday is not just talking about his NBA career or his few seasons overseas beforehand, which now is a decade ago. Go back to college, at the University of Washington, or even high school in California.
After rolling his left ankle pretty good in Friday’s preseason win in Cleveland, Holiday is bracing for the possibility of not being in uniform for the season opener on Oct. 20 in Charlotte.
“I don’t know (what it may be like),” he acknowledged after Monday’s practice. “I don’t know. I haven’t not played and not worn a jersey at least to the game since maybe Atlanta (during the 2015-16 season) when I wasn’t playing much and I had to wear a suit to the game.”
That’s incredibly good fortune. He played in all 72 games last season and all 73 the season prior. He’s the team’s Swiss Army knife, able and willing to do whatever the team needs.
“If I missed a game before, it was because a coach didn’t play me. I never missed because of injury,” he revealed. “This is the first time.”
How is that possible?