Greatest unsung hero in every NBA team’s history

New Orleans Pelicans: Jrue Holiday

Since changing their name in 2013, the New Orleans Pelicans have made the playoffs twice and have only make it out of the first round once. If you include their time as the New Orleans Hornets, the postseason appearances increase to seven with two playoff series wins. Suffice to say, this franchise has been a winning one.

New Orleans’ most recent playoff triumph came during the 2018 NBA Playoffs, where they shockingly swept the third-seeded Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

In that series against Portland, New Orleans got the usual stellar play from it star Anthony Davis, as well as an appearance by “Playoff” Rajon Rondo. That being said, it was Jrue Holiday’s play at both ends of the floor that elevated the Pelicans into the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs.

Holiday averaged 27.8 points and 6.5 assists per game with a .568/.350/.706 shooting line in that series. He also played solid defense against Trail Blazers’ dynamic backcourt tandem in point guard Damian Lillard and shooting guard CJ McCollum.

His sterling defense should come as no surprise. Holiday has been one of the better two-way guards in the NBA over the last few years when healthy, compiling 9.9 of his 23.8 win shares on defense.

On a team that centers so much around Davis (for now), it’s easy to omit Holiday’s efforts, but he deserves credit for the work he puts in on offense and defense for the Pelicans.