Milwaukee Bucks: Individual grades for starters after one month
By Dalton Sell
Milwaukee Bucks: Grading the starters after one month – Jrue Holiday
The Bucks dished out a king’s ransom to acquire Jrue Holiday through trade this offseason because they believed he could be the point guard to take them to the next level. Throughout his first 16 games with the franchise, Holiday has lived up to his individual expectations.
Holiday is averaging 16.1 points, which might not seem like much for a player of his caliber. However, with him being the third fiddle in this lineup, his contributions have been significant, particularly how efficiently he has been doing it. He is shooting a career-best 49.3 percent from the floor and a stellar 38.4 percent of his shots from behind the arc, which has made him a snug fit in this offense at this point in his tenure.
The guard is also putting up career numbers on the defensive end, currently grabbing 1.9 steals per game, as the defensive prowess he has shown early for the Bucks has been mesmerizing. Holiday has proven guard positions one through four without hesitation, never backing down from whomever he is assigned against. That capability will be crucial for the Bucks down the road, particularly in a postseason setting.
Overall, Holiday has been fantastic for the Bucks, and that might be selling it short. Hopefully, this is just the beginning, and the guard continues getting better as he gets more acclimated with his new teammates.