Jrue Holiday’s play has been a rising trend.
Now that the Bucks are 15 games into the season, it seems that newly acquired Jrue Holiday is settling in and finding his way in the Bucks’ offense while supplying his well-recognized brand of defense.
As I mentioned when talking about Donte DiVinvenzo on defense earlier, Holiday is doing a great job with his on-ball defending, especially when matched up on the likes of James Harden, Kevin Durant and LeBron James as last week showed.
Even as the returns varied on the matchup, it was Holiday’s defending on Durant that was incredibly encouraging to see, given the height difference between the two. Per NBA.com/stats, Holiday forced a pair of turnovers as Durant went 0-for-2 from the field on the eight partial possessions they were matched up against each other.
Where Holiday has impressed most as he has found his rhythm in Milwaukee is on offense. On Monday against the Nets, the veteran guard scored 22 points on efficient 8-16 shooting while adding six assists and four rebounds, all without turning the ball over. Holiday turned in another efficient night against the Lakers with 22 points on 10-for-18 shooting, along with seven assists, five rebounds and only one turnover.
These two games against opponents that will surely find themselves in the playoffs, Holiday’s poise and control on both ends of the floor has shined as the Bucks heave searched for balance and consistency. Needless to say, the overall impact he’s making thus far has lived up to expectations thus far.