Since arriving in Milwaukee in November of 2020, Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday has established himself as both a top-tier defender and a reliable and consistent scorer.
He’s averaged between 17 and 19 points per game over the last few seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks, with anywhere between four to five rebounds and six to seven assists per contest. As he approaches his fourth season with the Milwaukee Bucks, he could put up career numbers with how he has trended the last couple of years and his continued growth late in his career.
Predicting Jrue Holiday’s stat line for the Milwaukee Bucks in 23-24 NBA season
Holiday saw a slow progression into his career, as he averaged just eight points per game during his rookie year in Philadelphia. However, he displayed a tremendous amount of improvement in just a few years, soaring his average to 17.7 points per game in his fourth year, earning his first All-Star selection. His scoring was at its highest when he was in New Orleans, as he reached 21.2 points per game during the 2018-2019 season.
His rebounding has also been a point of his game that has seen a tremendous increase. Holiday added that aspect later in his career, as he averaged four or more rebounds in just three of his first eight years in the league. Since 2017, he has been north of four rebounds a game each year, hitting five twice and averaging a career-best 5.1 rebounds last year. The 5.1 rebounds placed him in a tie with Kyrie Irving for the fifth-most rebounds per game by point guards in the NBA, per Stat Muse. His strength inside the paint has been a noted attribute to Holiday that helps not just his scoring ability but also his ability to rebound at a high level.
As a passer, he’s been a consistent distributor and has seen those numbers climb north of seven assists per game. He saw a notable jump from his first to second year in the category, going from 3.8 a game as a rookie to 6.5 in his second year with Philadelphia. He has averaged seven-plus assists in five of his 14 years in the NBA, with a career-high of eight in 2012-2013. Being around elite-level scorers like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, Holiday’s passing numbers have stayed high among his peers as well, averaging seventh most assists last year among point guards.
When it comes to his shooting numbers, they have also been very strong which has led to the Milwaukee Bucks having a consistently top-tier offense. He’s shot 50 percent or better in two of the last three years from the floor while shooting 38 percent or better from deep. His free throw shooting also saw a major uptick as well, jumping from 76.1 percent in 2021-2022 to 85.9 percent last season.
It’s clear that Holiday’s play as a guard has steadily improved over his career, but has seen a major jump in just a few years with the Milwaukee Bucks. With consistent numbers over the last three years and being named to his second all-star team in his career last season, I think Holiday could see a major career year. Not to mention, having offensive weapons surrounding him like Giannis and Middleton, defenses are forced to leave Holiday more open than they’d like to, allowing his numbers to skyrocket. This is what I predict Holiday will average this year:
2023-204 stat line prediction: 22.5 points per game, 8.1 assists per game, five rebounds per game, 2.1 steals per game, 51.3 percent from the field, 39.7 percent from three, and 83.5 percent from the free throw line.
Holiday could very well be a consistent 20-point-per-game player, as he’s shown that in previous seasons. With a consistent shooting percentage and playing around other All-Stars, his numbers can only improve not just this upcoming year but for many years after. Although he is approaching his mid-30s, he’s shown no signs of slowing down, and as long as he stays healthy, we can see the Milwaukee Bucks’ point guard have a career season and possibly another All-Star year.
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