Justin Holiday thankful for coach’s confidence

NEW YORK — Following the Knicks’ Wednesday 105–102 win over the Detroit Pistons, head coach Jeff Hornacek doubled-down on his surprising reserve wing, Justin Holiday.

“It’s huge for us. We can’t play our starters all the time.,” Hornacek said of Holiday’s fit. “We feel confident when he gets a good look at the basket, he’s gonna make the shot. He can come from behind and get rebounds. He never quits on a play, so he’s able to get back in and get some blocked shots. That’s just effort.

“Justin’s one of those guys where, maybe because he’s bounced around a little bit, he knows he has to play that way. Again, if you have a team full of guys like Justin, you’re in good shape.”

Holiday finished with nine points, five rebounds, three assists and a block. He laughed at his coach’s praise, pointing out his own particularly poor shooting night (3-for-7 from the field, 1-for-3 from downtown), but said it feels great for his coach to have that confidence in him.

“That’s a good thing,” a cheesy Holiday said of Hornacek’s comments. “On the floor, I don’t have to worry about — I don’t know if I would — but I don’t have to worry about shooting a shot and I’m like, ‘What’s coach gonna think?’ To tell you the truth, I didn’t even shoot the three ball that well tonight, but I’m glad he’s still confident in it because I am.”