Jrue Holiday Addresses Blazers Future After Return From Injury

The Portland Trail Blazers took a 123-114 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday, snapping their five-game winning streak in the process. The good news, though, is that Jrue Holiday returned to the lineup.

Holiday had a solid game stat-wise (eight points, four assists, two rebounds, two 3PM, one steal) in the loss, though his efficiency (2/7 from the field) wasn't ideal. Still, Holiday missed 27 games and had 12 games played before Sunday.

After the game, he revealed he probably doesn't have much time remaining, saying postgame, "I don't have too many years left, so I'd love to play as many games and minutes as I can ... This team, they're fun to watch, but I'd rather have fun playing with them."

Jrue Holiday Bullish on Young Blazers Teammates

Holiday was particularly fired up talking about his teammates, giving guys like Sidy Cissoko, Caleb Love, and Donovan Clingan shoutouts. Love had 21 points, four rebounds, and four assists against the Knicks.

"It makes a difference when you have a group of guys that care about each other," he said. "We all love to see Sidy [Cissoko] and [Caleb] Love play the way they've been playing. I love to see [Donovan Clingan] play the way he's been playing. Obviously, Deni should be an All-Star this year. It's just big jumps for everybody and it's been happening at the right time.

"These guys are playing well and playing big minutes and winning big games. You see these young guys playing well and playing very hard. Not only for me, but this city is seeing how fun it is to watch us play."

Holiday has several years left on his deal, but his tenure in Portland hinges on the team's development. If Deni Avdija continues his star ascent during the 2025-26 season, Shaedon Sharpe continues to be a worthy sidekick, and the young guys continue pitching in, this team could be a contender before long. Between his time with the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics, Holiday has proven that he can be an immediate stimulus for a team on the cusp.

This Portland squad doesn't have the reps together that the Giannis Antetokounmpo-Khris Middleton or Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown cores did when Holiday arrived in 2020 and 2023, respectively. The same expectations aren't fair.

Maybe that's a different story in two to three years. Perhaps, with Holiday offering as much leadership in his career's twilight as possible, it could come even sooner than that.