Nov 29, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) shoots under pressure from Philadelphia 76ers center Spencer Hawes (00) and guard Michael Carter-Williams (1) during the first quarter at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
In what was a crazy NBA draft, the Philadelphia 76ers made one of the most shocking moves of the night — moving All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday and a 2013 second-round pick to the New Orleans Pelicans for Nerlens Noel and a 2014 first-rounder. New general manager Sam Hinkie wasted little time putting his stamp on Philadelphia in what was a bold move that signaled one thing: Philly was entering the sweepstakes for Andrew Wiggins.
The Canadian-born forward is seen as one of the most talented players to leave high school since LeBron James and the 2014 NBA Draft has many players considered franchise changing players — Jabari Parker to name another.
Back to the here and now, the 76ers just traded away their best player for the second time in two years. How can that be a good thing?
Jrue is good, but not great
Jrue Holiday has established himself as a starting NBA point guard. He’s an above-average talent, for sure. However, he is a complimentary piece, not a piece to build around. With him, the Sixers project to be average and Sam Hinkie wants more than that. I’m not out here advocating losing on purpose — but being frankly awful next season means that Philly has a chance at landing one of the franchise changing superstars. Additionally, Holiday didn’t exactly have the most consistent season. He committed far too many turnovers; shot less than 50 percent from the field and his defense wasn’t as great as advertised. That’s not to say he’s a bad player — he made the All-Star Game and at the age of 23 led a team that was facing uncertainty. He was the only shining light and that will always be appreciated by fans of the Sixers.
Nerlens Noel is a rare commodity
Skilled point guards are a readily available thing in the NBA — near 7-foot rim protectors are not. Noel immediately changes the culture of the Philadelphia 76ers defense. In his short stint at Kentucky, he averaged just more than four blocks a game. If he can bring even half of that to the next level then he will be a defensive game-changer.
Michael Carter-Williams is a serviceable point guard with great potential
Everyone has been quick to point out that Michael Carter-Williams is a significant downgrade from Jrue Holiday. There’s not really any getting around that. However, MCW has the potential to be a defensive beast — his 6’6’’ height and amazing lateral quickness and hops means he will not only be able to stay in front of his man, but he’ll be able to get into passing lanes. His court vision is brilliant and I have no doubts he can work on his jump shot — the stroke doesn’t look too bad. You can teach a jump shot, but you can’t teach vision or the feel for the game Carter-Williams has.
The 2014 first-round pick from the Pelicans
A probable lottery pick in a stacked draft class — along with arguably the No. 1 player in the draft (Nerlens Noel)? Sign me up for that. With MCW, Noel and two lottery picks at the core, the Sixers will be a fun, young and bright team.
Final Thoughts
As much as it hurts, trading Jrue Holiday gives the Sixers a greater long-term chance of winning the championship. With him, they’d never be bad enough to get a high lottery pick. Having said that, watching Philly next year will be an unpleasant sight. However, if you can take one or two years of suffering, a bright future awaits. Sam Hinkie has made his mark, but he’s done the right thing.