Jrue Holiday Makes Perfect Sense For The Hornets
The big news in the NBA this week was Damian Lillard being shipped off to Milwaukee. In the trade, it sent Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland is reportedly looking to trade Holiday because he doesn't fit their long-term plan.
By no means are the Hornets contenders, however, they should still be all over this.
1. Locker room presence/veteran
The Hornets have lacked a key veteran surrounding the team. The Hornets are one of the youngest teams in the league. Jrue Holiday would make an immediate impact off the court for the Hornets. Holiday would be a great veteran and mentor to a young LaMelo Ball. LaMelo hasn't really had a veteran around him who can teach him and improve other factors of his game, especially in the big moments. The most notable veteran the Hornets have had since drafting LaMelo Ball was Isaiah Thomas for less than half of the season. Right now, a veteran is the most important thing they need. Holiday would fit that role perfectly, especially because Holiday is still a terrific player at 32 years old.
2. Phenomenal defense
Jrue Holiday's biggest strength is his ability to defend. Holiday's on-ball defense is simply incredible. Constantly he disrupts the other teams' best players. Holiday has made big plays on the defensive end throughout his entire career. Holiday made one of the biggest plays in the 2021 NBA Finals when he stole the ball from Devin Booker and lobbed it up to Giannis Antetokounmpo, which basically sealed that win and championship for the Bucks. Holiday would also make the Hornets' backcourt tremendously better defensively. Holiday could also offer LaMelo Ball some tips and advice on the defensive end to take his game to the next level.
3. Shooting
The Hornets struggled to shoot the ball last season. The Hornets shot just 33.0% (2nd worst) from three as a team and made just 10.7 threes per game (T-3rd worst). Holiday has always been a really solid shooter from range. In fact, Holiday is only getting better from outside the arc. In his last two seasons, Holiday recorded two career highs for made three-pointers in a season. In the 2021-2022 season, Holiday recorded 132 three-pointers and in the 2022-2023 season, Holiday surpassed that number with 158 three-pointers in the season.
Holiday has also shot efficiently from the field and from three. Holiday hasn't shot worse than 45% since the 2016-2017 season, which is super impressive. Holiday has also shot above 38% from three in all of his three seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks.
4. Added playmaking
Holiday would also add much more playmaking to the team. Holiday has always been a really solid playmaker throughout his entire career. He'd help take some of the duties off of LaMelo Ball. The Hornets also lack a backup point guard currently, which makes the need for another key ball-handler even more important. Holiday averaged 7.4 assists per game last season. Having two playmakers of Ball and Holiday would expand everyone's game outside of them. Especially, Mark Williams who would receive a large amount of easy baskets around the rim.
5. Playoff experience
Not many players on the Hornets have any type of playoff experience. That has been a key reason as to why the Hornets have failed to make the playoffs or advance past the play-in tournament. Holiday has more playoff experience than any other Hornet on the team. Hayward and Rozier have made the playoffs just four times in their career, which leads the team. Holiday has made it to the playoffs seven times in his respective career, while more importantly winning an NBA Championship with the Milwaukee Bucks. Having someone with the experience that Holiday has could make the difference for the Hornets this year if the Hornets could pull off such a blockbuster trade.
Jrue Holiday would be a perfect fit for the Hornets, but at the end of the day, Holiday may be looking for a team that is closer to contending for a championship. Although the Hornets most likely wouldn't be contending for a championship with Holiday, there's no doubt that they would become a playoff team with him. The question remains, does Holiday want to be traded to a contender or does he really have much say in where he gets dealt?
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