Milwaukee Bucks: 3 bold predictions for Jrue Holiday in 2021-22
Bold Prediction No. 3 – Jrue Holiday wins Defensive Player of the Year in 2021-22 with the Milwaukee Bucks
Similar to the argument for him to make the All-Star team, the championship run last season should help Holiday’s chances at receiving some of these awards now that people have taken more notice of him.
He has long been known by players as one of the best overall defenders and perimeter defenders in the league, but now more and more fans are starting to see the impact that Holiday has on defense. He was fifth in the league in steals per game in the regular season (1.6), fourth in steals per game in the playoffs (1.7), second in defensive win shares in the playoffs (1.6), and sixth in defensive points saved in the playoffs (22.09), the latter being provided by NBA Math. Despite having some poor offensive stretches during the playoffs, Holiday was still always a very impactful player because of his outstanding defense.
With the versatility to defend several positions and the tenacity to pick up opposing point guards full court, Holiday could certainly gain some Defensive Player of the Year hype this season. If the Bucks can get back to being as dominant defensively as they were in 2018 and 2019 (best defensive rating in the league both years compared to ninth last year), that should only help Holiday’s case as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
A point guard has not won Defensive Player of the Year since Gary Payton did it in 1996 (which is why this is a bold prediction), but Holiday is arguably the best point guard defender in the game today and one of the best overall defenders. Watch out for him as a sleeper candidate.
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Holiday is going to continue to be a very key piece for the Bucks on both ends of the court in 2021-22. Now that he has a full year with the team under his belt and the confidence of a champion, we could see some Holiday get even better this year. If he plays as he did in the second half of last season, all three of these predictions are attainable for him in his second season with Milwaukee.