Revisiting Jrue Holiday’s 2020-21 goals with the Milwaukee Bucks: No. 1 – Space the floor
One of the biggest questions surrounding Holiday when he was traded to the Bucks was whether he could space the floor. The guard had never been known as a knockdown shooter from 3-point range, hitting just 35.4 percent of the triples in his career before last season. Given how much the Bucks emphasize shooting from deep, Holiday would need to find his shooting stroke, and to his credit, he did.
Holiday shot a career-high 39.2 percent from distance on 4.8 attempts per game during 2020-21, with his 1.9 triples made on average being the second-most in his career. Of course, that shooting helped Holiday find his footing on the offensive end as he gave Antetokounmpo a reliable threat on the perimeter all throughout the regular season. He was letting it fly with confidence, and the results ultimately spoke for themselves.
While he enjoyed an efficient regular season, Holiday’s outside shooting regressed mightily once the postseason rolled around. The guard shot just 30.3 percent on 6.2 attempts across 23 games for the Bucks, having struggled to put the ball in the hoop from long range. Although he struggled as a whole, it seemed like Holiday consistently knocked down big triples when it mattered most. Game 7 against the Brooklyn Nets comes to mind as Holiday could not buy a bucket in that game but knocked down big shots down the stretch.
Although he looked like a shell of his regular season self during the postseason, Holiday did space the floor for the Bucks. He knocked down shots when the team needed it, so check this one off the list as well.
Holiday checked off all the boxes in year one in Milwaukee, and hopefully the best is still yet to come as he prepares for year two.