Milwaukee Bucks: NBA 2K22 rating proves Jrue Holiday is still underrated
By Dalton Sell
When Jrue Holiday was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks last offseason for a sizeable haul of assets, fans understood that they were getting arguably the most underrated player in the game.
The guard had seen individual success with a string of stellar seasons, but it was never enough to elevate his team into the discussion with premier contenders, which often made the outside world gloss over him when discussing the best guards in the game. It’s all about winning in the NBA, and that is why Holiday embraced being traded to Milwaukee and understood the pressure that would follow as he was viewed as the piece to finally help them overcome their postseason woes.
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Ultimately, he proved to be just that as the Bucks ended their season by hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time in five decades after a postseason run where Holiday shined throughout, having given the team the upgrade in the backcourt that they had been desperately seeking for so long.
After shining on the biggest stage and adding a championship to his résumé, it initially seemed like Holiday’s days of being the NBA’s most underrated player were finished, but that is still not the case.
In anticipation of the release of NBA 2K22, the team behind the best-selling video game has been releasing ratings for certain players. Among those featured were the members of Milwaukee’s leading trio, and the reveal brought in some very controversial thoughts. Sticking with Holiday, the guard will begin the game with an 85 rating, which proves he is still criminally underrated.
Despite winning a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks, Jrue Holiday was given a controversial rating in NBA 2K22
While an 85 rating is certainly not the end of the world, Holiday will actually have gone down a point from his previous rating of an 86 in NBA 2K21. How can a player have the title run that the guard just did and go down a point? That is just insane.
Sure, there were certainly several games in the playoffs where Holiday lacked a genuine pulse on the offensive end. He had his share of grueling shooting nights, but he stepped up when the team needed him the most, hitting clutch shots down the stretch in Game 7 versus the Brooklyn Nets and stepping up in Games 5 and 6 against the Atlanta Hawks after Giannis Antetokounmpo went down with a hyperextended knee.
Of course, fans will not forget that Holiday had one of the most iconic plays in NBA Finals history in Game 5 versus the Phoenix Suns. With the Bucks needing a stop in the final moments, Holiday ripped the ball from Phoenix’s Devin Booker and threw up the lob pass to Antetokounmpo to help them seal the road victory and take a 3-2 series lead. That play alone should have given Holiday an 87 or 88 rating.
The game certainly does not value defense in the same regard as offense. Many of Holiday’s peers have deemed him the best defender in the association, and that notion deserves some thought from the rating team. The guard does not heave 3-points from 30 feet or have the most eye-catching handle on the basketball, but what he does bring to the table is worth more than an 85 rating, and anyone who watched him throughout the 2021 NBA Playoffs will agree.
Making several highlight-reel plays and ultimately winning a championship this past season, there is no reason why Holiday should have gone down a point. Despite everything he has accomplished this past year, it seems like he will remain underrated, and while Holiday certainly does not look too deeply into that sentiment, it could give him some extra motivation heading into next season.
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While he may start the game as an 85, Holiday will undoubtedly raise that rating as time passes throughout the 2021-22 season.