Things have obviously gone south for the Bucks in recent years, and it all stems from their decision to trade away Jrue Holiday. Even members of the organization can now admit that it was a huge mistake to include Holiday in the 2023 trade for Damian Lillard. That fateful decision eventually led to Giannis Antetokounmpo's disillusion with the franchise and the Bucks' current state of rebuild.
The Bucks should have never let Holiday go
For three glorious years, Holiday was the Bucks' starting point guard and a leader both on and off the court. During that time, he averaged 18.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game. But his impact goes beyond the counting stats - Holiday was also an All-Defensive selection every year he played in Milwaukee, as well as an All-Star in 2023.
Holiday's elite two-way impact, especially during the 2021 championship run, is something the Bucks can't even imagine from their guards now. It's been a far fall from grace for Milwaukee's backcourt, going from Holiday a few years ago to throwaway guards that they hope to trade. And yet it happened in incremental steps that seemed to make sense at the time.
Initially, Holiday was included in a trade package that brought in All-NBA point guard Damian Lillard to boost the team's playoff offense. One crucial mistake the Bucks made during that transaction was underestimating how much Holiday meant to the Bucks' defense. In their first season after trading him, Milwaukee's perimeter defense struggled mightily without their former lockdown stopper.
Combining Lillard with Holiday and Antetokounmpo would have been a much more ideal outcome, as Holiday can play the shooting guard spot equally well. He's strong enough to guard bigger ball-handlers and the Bucks would have enough shooting between him and Dame to make any offense work. Without Holiday in the deal, though, it likely wouldn't work.
The Bucks are still searching for their next Jrue Holiday
Now the Bucks have plenty of guards on the roster but can't really expect any of them to provide Holiday's production and leadership. The one on the closest trajectory is probably Ryan Rollins, who is a strong defender and has shown promising offensive upside. But getting him to Holiday's Milwaukee level will be a tall task, and fielding the right team to compete for a title will be even harder.
Holiday proved after his trade from the Bucks that he can win in multiple systems. The very next season, he won a title with the Celtics playing more of an off-ball role. His versatility has always been a huge strength and that Boston title should serve as inspiration for Bucks leadership that they can build a contender in many ways if they ever get another player like Holiday.
Add us as a preferred source on Google