New Orleans Pelicans: Jrue Holiday’s defense is saving the season
The New Orleans Pelicans are in danger of missing the playoffs. Things would be much worse if it weren’t for the defensive skills of point guard Jrue Holiday.
New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday is known as a veteran who can both distribute the ball and attack the basket on offense. Despite being named to last season’s All-Defensive First Team, his ability to lock down some of the games most prolific scorers is often overlooked.
Holiday is averaging 20.8 points and 8.1 assists per game. You couldn’t ask for better offensive numbers from the former UCLA standout, but unfortunately, that’s come with the highest defensive rating of his career at 113.
At first glance, Holiday’s physical presence may be unassuming. But watching the 6’4’’ guard use his deadly combination of length and speed, it’s obvious that he can hold his own. Last year he was one of just 10 players in the league with at least 50 blocks, 100 steals and 300 rebounds.
If that wasn’t impressive enough, Holiday was instrumental in stopping the tandem of CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. The result was a surprising sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers. The exclamation point of the series was a defensive stop by none other than Jrue Holiday.
You could have argued that last season’s defensive spark was a result of playing alongside Rajon Rondo, but with Rondo now on the Los Angeles Lakers, Holiday is proving that last season was no fluke. He’s matched last year’s efforts so far with 79 steals and 36 blocks already under his belt this season. According to ESPN’s RPM Wins, the only guard in the league responsible for more victories is James Harden. Holiday wouldn’t be in such a position without his attention to detail on defense.
Holiday isn’t piling up defensive stats in garbage time, either. He makes big plays when they count. In Monday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, he deflected passes on back-to-back third quarter possessions after fighting around screens. During the same stretch, he came up with two steals on three possessions, giving the Pelicans the edge necessary to jump out to a large second-half lead.
Even though Holiday is this phenomenal defensive talent, it doesn’t always translate into wins for the Pelicans. New Orleans is currently on the outside of the playoff race, with a record of 22-25. While the team’s record isn’t Holiday’s fault, the issue may very well reside in the Pelicans’ backcourt and with their team defense.
The Pelicans rank 26th in defensive rating, giving up 111.6 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com. With Holiday on the court, that number shrinks to 108.4. When he sits, it explodes to 113.5.
The other guards on the squad appear to rely heavily on Holiday’s athleticism. It’s a fact that he’s going to be present with help defense. Any time the off guard gets beat, Holiday is in place to pick up the slack. Teams that know how to efficiently make the extra pass can easily pick the Pelicans apart. Just ask Stephen Curry, who torched New Orleans with 41 points and nine 3-pointers last week.
Even when Holiday isn’t in position to help out, teammates can depend on another member of the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team in Anthony Davis to protect the rim. What’s scary for the Pelicans at this stage in the season is Davis’ finger injury. According to reports, Davis could miss up to four weeks of action.
New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis will see a hand specialist with fear of a volar plate avulsion fracture in his left index finger, agent Rich Paul tells @TheAthleticNBA. If confirmed, Davis will likely miss 2-to-4 weeks.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 23, 2019
That’s a long time for this team, fighting to make the playoffs, to be without its rim protector. The Pelicans are likely to do more switching on pick-and-roll defense in Davis’ absence. It’s going to be a nightmare for Holiday to continue impacting the game the way he has when guarding opposing big men on the switch.
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Still, there’s a legit chance that Jrue Holiday will be named to the All-Star team for the first time in six years. There are a ton of Western Conference guards he will have to beat out for that honor. Some of those players may average more points per game, and their team may have more victories in the win column. But none of them are able to do the things that Jrue Holiday has accomplished on the defensive end of the floor.