As the Milwaukee Bucks kicked off their offseason by landing Jrue Holiday, we dive into the journey the veteran guard has taken and examine his fit within his new surroundings.
No acquisition was more substantial for the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason than Jrue Holiday.
The Bucks landed the one-time All-Star in a four-team trade involving the New Orleans Pelicans, Denver Nuggets, and Oklahoma City Thunder, with a hefty haul of assets heading elsewhere. Milwaukee parted ways with Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, three first round draft picks, and the rights to swap two additional future first round picks, all while showing their willingness to go all in next season.
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Before he ultimately landed in Milwaukee, Holiday was one of the hottest names on the trade market and has been for the past several years.
As one of the elite two-way guards in the league today, many believed Holiday could be a needle tipping addition for any team with title aspirations. Now, he lands on the team with the best regular season record in the past two seasons, and there are plenty of reasons for fans to be excited.
Before Jrue Holiday gets the chance to suit up with the Milwaukee Bucks, let us take a look at the 30-year-old’s ascension to stardom over the course of his life.
Examining Jrue Holiday’s high school and collegiate career
Attending Campbell Hall High School in Los Angeles, Holiday finished off his high school career with a stellar senior season. Holiday averaged 25.9 points, 11.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 4.8 steals per game, having led the team to a 31-5 record and a victory for the California Division IV state title.
After a stellar campaign, Holiday earned himself California Mr. Basketball honors, was named a McDonald’s All-American as well as the Gatorade Player of the Year. According to Rivals.com, he also resided as the top overall point guard prospect and the second ranked overall product in the 2008 class, ranking behind Byron Mullens in the latter department.
USA Basketball Junior Development Committee Chair Don Showalter spoke incredibly highly of Holiday after the guard previously attended the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival in March of 2008:
"“In my opinion, the most talented overall player among the elite players in the country is Holiday,” said USA Basketball Junior Development Committee Chair Don Showalter. “I love the kid. I think he’s a great teammate. He makes everybody else better. He’s very coachable, he reacts so well to feedback, and his teammates just absolutely love him – and that’s an important thing to note when you’re talking about this level of talent.”"
Moving onto UCLA, Holiday started in all 35 of his collegiate games, having averaged 8.5 points on .450/.307/.726 shooting splits, 3.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.6 steals in 27.1 minutes per game. Jrue’s efforts earned him Pac-10 All-Freshman Honors, and he declared for the 2009 NBA Draft after spending one season with the Bruins.