Milwaukee Bucks: Jrue Holiday Has Come as Advertised
By Kenny Jilek
When the news broke that the Milwaukee Bucks were going to acquire Jrue Holiday from the Pelicans in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, and a plethora of picks, the instant reaction from Bucks fans was overwhelmingly that they had added the piece that would put them over the top and make them a championship team after two disappointing playoff endings in a row.
As the days went on, there was a growing sentiment around the league that going from Bledsoe to Holiday was mostly a lateral move at point guard, and the Bucks gave up to much for someone that wouldn’t move the needle. Holiday has absolutely busted any myths that he and Bledsoe are on the same level, and every game, he does something new on the court that Bledsoe could only dream of.
In fact, he did it the very first night in a Milwaukee Bucks uniform, hitting a stepback three in clutch time to give the Bucks the lead that would’ve held if not for a lucky banked three from Jayson Tatum. Nasty behind the back moves, creative passes, and finessed finishes at the rim are all things Jrue can do to break down a defense that Bledsoe simply can’t give a team.
Jrue’s impact clearly passes the eye test, and his impact on the court can be seen by any casual observer, but let’s quantify how much he’s contributed over what Bledsoe has for the Pelicans this year and what he did the last couple of seasons in Milwaukee.
Holiday is above his career averages in points, rebounds, field goal and three-point percentage, and player efficiency rating. He also is averaging a career-high in steals per game at 1.8. Holiday has been much more efficient on offense by shooting better from the outside and not turning the ball over.
In Bledsoe’s time with the Milwaukee Bucks, he shot just 34 percent from behind the arc, and we all know what happened in the playoffs. He also turned the ball over 2.5 times per game. So far, Holiday has shot 37.9 percent from long range and is averaging just 1.5 giveaways per game. Those upgrades, among other things, have made the Bucks the most efficient offense in the league.
There’s really no question of how big of an upgrade Holiday has been over Bledsoe. In terms of player efficiency rating, which boils everything down to one number, Holiday has a very nice 18.4 while Bledsoe has a rather mediocre 13.4. This five-point gap is a large one, as most scores range from 10 to 20.
This is all made even more impressive when you consider that Holiday hasn’t even been playing with this team for very long. They’ve been through just 20 games, but he’s already shown how much he can do as he starts to build chemistry with his teammates. As he gets even more comfortable with his teammates and the offensive system, he should hopefully be handling the ball in a greater capacity. Currently, Holiday is tied for 117th in the league in usage percentage, so it seems like an inevitability that he will be getting more looks on the offensive side of the ball.
This all will culminate with the playoffs, where his true value will be shown. At that point, he’ll be fully integrated into the offense and have even better chemistry with the other players. The real reason that the Milwaukee Bucks gave up so many assets for him was for his shot-creating and defense in the playoffs. Defense tightens in the postseason, and personal skill and shot creation become the most important attributes. Bledsoe just isn’t even close to the creator that Holiday is, and I expect to see a huge difference in the Bucks’ offensive performance when they face playoff defenses.
The regular season is nice, but there’s no question that the Bucks will be in the postseason again, so the only thing that really matters is how they perform once they get there. Jrue is a guy who is made for playoff basketball. Dominant guards who create their own shots at every level of the court can win a playoff series against good teams. Jamaal Murray and Donovan Mitchell battled for seven games in the playoffs last year, both averaging over 30 points per game, and Damian Lillard took the Trail Blazers all the way to the Western Conference Finals two years ago.
Jrue is the exact archetype of a player as those guys, a shifty guard who can finish at the rim and shoot off the dribble anywhere on the court. When the Bucks need a basket late in a playoff game, Holiday is the guy that can answer that call, and there’s no replacement for a guy like that. The Heat beat the Bucks with a plethora of players with that trait, including Goran Dragic, Tyler Herro, Jae Crowder, and of course, Jimmy Butler.
Jrue has experience leading a team to a big playoff win. Just three years ago, he outdueled Damian Lillard in the first round en route to a sweep in which he averaged 27 points per game and held Dame to just 18.5 on 35.2 percent shooting from the field.
This year, the Milwaukee Bucks will come to the playoffs equipped with a new weapon in Holiday who will give Giannis and Khris offensive relief that they’ve needed and hadn’t been getting anywhere else on the roster. Jrue Holiday has been everything the Bucks could have wanted and more, and he will give this team a real shot at a championship this season.