Just as starting point guard Jrue Holiday had seemingly found his footing with the Milwaukee Bucks, he was pulled out of the lineup due to health and safety protocols.
It was a tough blow for the Bucks, who managed to go just 5-5 without Holiday in the fold for that brief stretch. They certainly looked discombobulated at times without their floor general in the lineup, understandably so as any chemistry they had built up to that point had been hindered without Holiday.
More from Bucks News
- Bucks 2023-24 player profile: Can MarJon Beauchamp take a leap?
- Piecing together the Milwaukee Bucks’ dream starting 5 in 5 years
- Predicting Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s 2023-24 stats for the Bucks
- Grade the trade: Bucks land reputable backup guard in swap with Pacers
- New workout video should have Milwaukee Bucks fans excited
After a three-week absence, the guard made his return to the lineup for the Bucks, later revealing that he had indeed tested positive for COVID-19 in early February.
Still working his way back up to speed battling through the aftereffects in his return, Holiday justifiably looked rusty in his first three appearances. However, after an extra week off thanks to the All-Star break, the 30-year-old is playing better than ever.
Jrue Holiday is playing his best basketball with the Milwaukee Bucks since returning from his absence.
In 10 games following the All-Star break, Holiday has been sensational by averaging 19.4 points on .521/.440/.917 shooting splits, five rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. The guard has upped his production across the board, and his contributions have certainly been felt nightly.
Looking back to full strength, the guard is scoring the basketball from the perimeter, from the midrange, and close to the basket with high efficiency. Meanwhile, he continues to find time to get his teammates involved in the action offensively with his playmaking prowess.
Defensively, he continues taking on difficult assignments night in and night out, which is something this team undoubtedly missed in his time away from them. Losing arguably the best guard defender in the association was a big hit to Milwaukee’s already struggling defense, but he has been fantastic since returning.
When asked by reporters about Jrue’s progression since his absence, teammate Pat Connaughton gave a lengthy answer about how the former All-Star being sidelined impacted the team. Via Bucks.com:
"“Jrue Holiday is a really good basketball player. I’d say he’s the most underrated guy in the league, and I think part of the reason why is he is so good is because he demands so much of himself… When he was out for health and safety protocols, it was tough on all of us, mostly because we were getting our groove as far as it being a weird season, as far as not having training camp together, as far as really gelling as a team.”"
Holiday’s return has allowed the Bucks to pick up where they left off in that gelling process, and it has been a success thus far. The team is 10-3 in games that the guard has appeared in since February 28. As evidenced by his 28 point, six assist effort in the team’s latest win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Holiday is getting back up to speed fairly quickly.
The Bucks went all in this past offseason to acquire Holiday because they knew he was capable of turning this team up a notch, particularly in the postseason. With 25 regular season games left until the playoffs begin, Holiday has consistently shown this year that he could potentially be the ultimate difference-maker for Milwaukee.