Chicago Bulls: Three questions Monday night’s game rekindled

Just how valuable of a trade piece can Justin Holiday be?

If Robin Lopez’ lack of play time is a perplexing question, then Justin Holiday’s abundance of minutes is an easy one.

Simply put, the Bulls have almost nobody who can play small forward right now. Hutchison is the only other healthy small forward on the roster with Denzel Valentine out, and he has only just recently proved himself capable of handling minutes. Even then, he’s a rookie, and the Bulls are clearly avoiding putting him right into the fire.

Holiday has averaged 35.5 minutes per game so far this season, a career high for him. He’s also shooting 41.5% from the floor and 41% from three this year, with seven of his nine attempts per game coming from behind the arc.

With Zach LaVine out for most of last season, Chicago essentially tried to plug Holiday into the role that LaVine would eventually play. But with a healthy and star-bound LaVine this year, Holiday has transitioned into more of a sharpshooting role.

If Holiday can keep up his efficiency from beyond the arc he could very well be a valuable trade asset this year. Holiday is capable of handling the ball and has oftentimes been the Bulls second or third best defender on the floor (which isn’t saying a lot, but it’s still something).

Holiday is also on an expiring-contract just north of $4-million, making him even more valuable as a potential role player on a playoff team. Keep an eye out on Holiday’s production in the coming months as we approach the trade deadline, his value just might keep climbing.