Jrue Holiday Is in My Top 5 Too ... Just a Little Later
Back in September, Adam Madison of NBA Analytiks, looked into the merits of Doug Collin's claim that Jrue Holiday will one of the top 5 PGs in the NBA this season. While I agree with Madison that it's a stretch to expect this from Holiday this year especially given the stiff competition, I can't help but agree that long term Collin's is right.
I'm sure many were thinking that Collins put the jinx on Holiday after his first three preseason games. Check out his game log:
| FGA | FGM | FG% | 3Pt | FT% | Pts | Reb | Ast | Stl | BS | TO | |
| vs NJ @ 10/5 | 4 | 9 | 44% | 1 | 100% | 10 | 5 | 4 | 3 | - | 5 |
| vs BOS @ 10/6 | 3 | 13 | 23% | 1 | 100% | 10 | 6 | 1 | 1 | - | 7 |
| vs NJ @ 10/9 | 2 | 9 | 22% | - | 33% | 5 | 6 | 2 | 2 | - | 3 |
| Average | 9.0 | 31.0 | 29% | 2.0 | 71% | 8.3 | 5.7 | 2.3 | 2.0 | - | 5.0 |
8ppg and on 29% shooting with 2 assists doesn't necessarily scream top 5 does it? I think its very well possible that Holiday's struggles early on were because of the new system Collins was implementing in Philadelphia. Kate Fagan of the Phildaelphia Inquirier described it well...
"A lot of Holiday's problems can be chalked up to unsteady offensive philosophy. That's no mystery ... anytime Holiday is over-dribbling outside, waiting for a play to get set, his game is carrying a heavy load. You'll probably see some of that tonight: thinking a guy is going to curl, but he fades, or misreading where a cut might go. You can see turnovers like that dwindling as the regular season begins. No problem. But something to also keep an eye on is Holiday's offensive effectiveness during reaction, breakdown plays, and his decisions in transition, which shouldn't be affected by the offensive sets. Maybe it's impossible to separate his issues, though. Perhaps he's struggling in all facets of his game because he's not yet set in the offense, as if the upheaval is all-around rattling.
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Now with three games under his belt check out what Holiday has done in his last two:
| FGA | FGM | FG% | 3Pt-A | FT% | Pts | Reb | Ast | Stl | BS | TO | |
| vs BOS @ 10/12 | 5 | 11 | 45% | 2 | 0% | 12 | 7 | 7 | - | - | 3 |
| vs TOR @ 10/13 | 7 | 12 | 58% | - | 100% | 18 | 11 | 12 | 3 | - | 2 |
| Average | 12 | 23 | 52% | 2.0 | 100% | 15.0 | 9.0 | 9.5 | 1.5 | - | 2.5 |
Granted last night's triple double performance is amplified by the double OT but Holiday had a more than well balanced stat line before the game went to extended minutes. It's clear that Holiday is starting to find his groove. Even in his Boston performance on the 12th you can see the contributions that Holiday provides all over - 2 threes, 7 rebounds, 7 assists.
When I think about the future top 5 PGs in the league (old timers aside) I consider Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Stephen Curry locks. All these guys have my three favorite attributes in a point guard - court vision, high basketball IQ, and great shooting. Look around the league and there are very few PGs that have all three. Rondo? Great court vision, no shooting. Derrick Rose? Same thing. I think Holiday has all three in a bigger body (6'4'') and at a younger age (20 years old).
If you're interested in reading more about Jrue Holiday check out my blog at 3gotgame.com/vw. In my keeper league I was faced with the dilemma between keeping Andray Blatche or Jrue Holiday. Maybe you're in the same predicament or have to decide between the two come draft time.
