UCLA will lean on Aaron Holiday against Wildcats as it attempts McKale Center upset

Four starters departed UCLA’s 31-win team of last season, and that infamous Chinese shoplifting caper siphoned off three more guys from the rotation.

That left Aaron Holiday and his Bruins teammates in a bind. It was painfully evident Dec. 9, when UCLA blew a 15-point, second-half lead at Michigan in part by turning the ball over 20 times in an overtime loss.

Holiday had seven of those turnovers. But he also played 43 minutes, and UCLA coach Steve Alford took the blame for not giving Holiday and senior center Thomas Welsh nearly enough rest.

Holiday took it as a learning experience anyway.

“After that, my endurance went up a little bit,” Holiday said. “I can get tired out there but it’s not as noticeable. I try not to make mistakes when I’m tired.”

Overall, he hasn’t had many. In nonconference play, Holiday played key roles in UCLA wins over Wisconsin and Kentucky, while since then he’s helped the shorthanded Bruins stay in the Pac-12 race heading into a game Thursday against Arizona at McKale Center.

The junior guard is the leading scorer (20.9 points per game) and 3-point percentage shooter (55.9) in Pac-12 games, while he’s also tied with UA’s Parker Jackson-Cartwright as the No. 5 assist leader (5.3) despite the fact that freshman Jaylen Hands shares ball-distribution duties with him.

Oh, and he also leads the conference in minutes played at 38.1.

If he’s still tired, it isn’t obvious.

“I watch Aaron Holiday and think about who he was as a high school senior and watching him grow and emerge,” UA coach Sean Miller said. “He’s one heck of a basketball player. I haven’t seen too many guards that are better in college basketball than him.”

Miller saw Holiday as a four-star prospect out of the San Fernando Valley, the little brother of NBA players Jrue (Pelicans) and Justin (Bulls) Holiday, an explosive slasher and defender with plenty of room to improve.

He started all 32 UCLA games as a freshman in 2015-16, leading the Bruins in steals and field-goal percentage while also averaging 4.0 assists. Last season, with Lonzo Ball around, Holiday moved to the bench, where he became Bleacher Report’s “Sixth Man of the Year” while averaging 12.3 points and 4.4 assists per game.

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Afterward, Holiday and Welsh joined teammates Ball, T.J. Leaf, Ike Anigbogu, Bryce Alford and Isaac Hamilton in preparing for the NBA Draft but Holiday and Welsh both pulled out in May.

As much as Holiday has the chance to test himself against NBA talent simply by playing pickup ball with his brothers, he said the predraft experience gave him a particularly valuable perspective.

“The offseason really helped,” Holiday said. “I was able to test the waters and that helped me slow down and understand the game a lot better. … (NBA execs said to) just continue doing what I’m doing, pressure more on defense and show how good I am defensively, and lead the team as well.”

Now projected as a high to middle second-round pick, should he enter the 2018 Draft, Holiday is doing those things.

It’s just that, as a team, the Bruins still struggle defensively. Like the UA, they feature one of the nation’s most efficient offenses yet a mediocre defense.

Alford said he’s actually surprised his offense has been as good as it’s been, and that the defense was compromised when forwards Jalen Hill and Cody Riley were suspended for the year because of the shoplifting incident (a third player involved, wing LiAngelo Ball, left the team).

“It’s a huge factor in that those are three guys who were in our rotation,” Alford said. “It’s as if you lost three guys to injury. We lost three guys in one day and we had just practiced for five weeks one way — we were going to be a full-court pressing team this year and do a lot of things because of our athleticism and depth.

“And those three guys being very athletic, especially Jalen and Cody, they are two bigs who can guard just about every position on the court. So that changes how you can do things.”

Holiday said it’s been difficult because the remaining freshmen and the returnees taking on much bigger roles had much to learn, but he also wasn’t using it as an excuse.

“We should be further along,” Holiday said. “At the end of the day, you’ve gotta push through those things. We had no choice but to lose the guys we did last year and it’s up to us to keep the trend going and winning. I have to get our guys ready and playing hard.”

Alford has no complaints about that. While Hands has improved his ballhandling and taken some pressure off Holiday, the fact is that Holiday still barely ever leaves the court and the 7-foot Welsh logs 32.1 minutes.

“Obviously two huge keys is what Tom and Aaron bring to this team,” Alford said. “Not only are they terrific young men and terrific leaders but they’re a big part of what we do, and Aaron’s having a phenomenal year.”