3 Bucks who need to rise to the occasion in do or die Game 5 vs. Heat

2 – Jrue Holiday

Speaking of inconsistent play in this series, Jrue Holiday has also struggled to get himself into any sort of a groove. He posted his worst outing of the series in Game 5, having scored 14 points on a vile 6-of-19 shooting, including 2-of-11 from three. It seemed like his energy was drained from a night of chasing Jimmy Butler around defensively. Coming off one of his worst playoff games as a Buck, Holiday’s play will be under a microscope in this essential Game 5 back at home.

The argument regarding Holiday’s offense in the postseason is that he is bound to struggle on the offensive end because he is exerting so much energy defensively. Guarding a guy like Butler, that is somewhat of a valid point. However, if that is indeed the case, the Bucks might want to switch the plan up because they simply need more from Holiday than what they’ve gotten so far.

While Holiday can make things tough for Butler, the latter is going to get his points either way; he’s been incredible in this series despite Holiday’s world-renowned defense. The Bucks should try having the Greek Freak defend him for extended possessions or even let Jae Crowder try. Crowder has not been great in this series, but if having Holiday guard someone else gives him more energy offensively, it could be worth a shot to throw the veteran wing this team so desperately wanted for situations exactly like this out on the floor.

In short, the Bucks cannot have another 6-of-19 shooting performance from Holiday. He was one of the NBA’s All-Stars for a reason this season, and it would be great if he could remind the world why that was. Holiday has made some legendary playoff plays before, and the Bucks would like it if he could string together a few more this year. It all starts with bouncing back in Game 5.