"I can't stand here and tell you Holiday will be a superstar," Stefanski said. "But he has upside."
Stefanski said the Sixers "tried to get active" in the second round, targeting a specific player, but were unable to get the necessary pick.
The scheduled salary for Holiday as the 17th pick is just over $1.5 million.
The Sixers said that they didn't expect Holiday to make an impact this season, but that the team's war room was unanimous in taking Holiday, who it believed was the most talented player left on the board.
"He's young, and you never want to put a lot of pressure on," assistant general manager Tony DiLeo said . "I'm sure he'll get an opportunity. . . . We'll see how he develops, see how he plays.
"We weren't looking at him to really come in and make an impact for next season. We're looking for the future with him."
Holiday, on a conference call from Madison Square Garden, the site of the draft, said he disagreed with that assessment. "No, honestly, I see myself as an impact player," he said. "That's my expectation of myself."
Holiday said that although he had been to Philadelphia a few times - and played against Villanova at the Wachovia Center in the second round of the NCAA tournament - he was "not that familiar" with the city.
"I'm excited," he said. The Sixers "have Andre Miller, who is a great point guard. I can definitely learn from him. You know, a playoff team, I get to experience that. I get to experience my first year, the pleasure of being in the playoffs, and playing against the best teams."
Miller's return to the Sixers is in question. He will be an unrestricted free agent when free agency opens Wednesday.
