What’s going on with Jrue Holiday?
The New Orleans Pelicans’ are 2-8. An ebullient and promising offseason is giving way to a grim reality, naturally prompting the cycle of blame to start in earnest.
And there are a myriad of culprits to point to — defense, rebounding, transition scoring and free throw shooting — but none are more obvious than holiday sluggish performance.
Holiday was handed the keys, expected to emerge into being the Pelicans’ best player, an All-Star candidate, potentially capable of a dark-horse MVP run. These outsized expectations weren’t placed on him by the media or fans, but rather his team’s own executive vice president, David Griffin.
“I really challenged Jrue,” Griffin told SiriusXM radio in July. “I told him ‘You can be the most underrated guard in the league for as long as you want to be, but I’d rather you want to be an MVP.’ He jumped out of his skin, but this guy is capable of far more than he’s done.”
For the past several seasons, New Orleans Pelicans fans likely believed they always had a potential league MVP on their roster.
While Griffin’s words were intended to stoke confidence in Holiday’s ability to lead a quickly-refurbished franchise, the message has yet to manifest itself on the floor. In fact, Holiday is in the midst of one of the most unproductive stretches of his prime.
He’s yet to tally a 20-point performance, a year after averaging a career-best 21.2 points per game. He’s converting just 36.4% of his shots, and 23% of his 3s, a rate worse than any full season in his 11-year career.
There’s still time for him to sort out his shooting, but after 10 games it’s exceedingly fair to ask: Did the Pelicans put too much of a burden on holiday?
“I don’t think we put too much pressure on him,” coach Alvin Gentry said. “Our expectations were high, but there is no reason they shouldn’t have been. And I think he’ll tell you the same thing. He’s just going through a tough time right now.
“I’m not worried about Jrue. He will find his way. He’s done it every year that I’ve been here. We shouldn’t have such a short memory that we don’t remember Game 4 against Portland here in the (2018) playoff series (when Holiday finished a sweep by scoring 41 points).”
As Jrue Holiday enters his 11th NBA season, he does so as the leader of a Pelicans group even the most creative of users of ESPN’s “NBA trade …
But in his last two games, Holiday has made just 10-of-23 shots and bricked all 12 of his 3-point tries. While he’s still stoic defensively and dutifully playmaking for others, the scoring slump is glaring, prompting Gentry to sit with his star guard before Tuesday’s practice.
“Jrue is so conscientious about everything,” Gentry said. “He feels like he needs to get everyone involved. We had a talk about that today. I just need for him to be Jrue. We’ll get it figured out. I’m not going to worry about him. This is my fifth year here, and he’s always found a way to step up.”
That confidence extends to the rest of the roster. Veterans like JJ Redick down to rookies like Jaxson Hayes have unanimously supported the captain when questions arise about Holiday’s start.
“I’m one of Jrue’s biggest fans, and I have been,” Redick said. “Being around him the last six weeks has only strengthened that fandom. I’m a believer his shots are going to go in and he’s going to be playing at an All-NBA level. He does so much for us beyond just making shots, and he’s been doing that. So, the shots will eventually go.”
But why aren’t they falling now?
This isn’t just a bad game or two. It’s closing in on a bad month.
Perhaps the external pressures are weighing on him, but it’s likely the team’s internal machinations are also to blame. Gentry mentioned Holiday’s desire to get teammates involved in the offense, and too often he’s the only Pelicans’ player capable of doing so.
This is Brandon Ingram’s team.
Holiday leads the team with 17 drives per game, according to NBA.com, and is the only guard able to consistently attack defenses at two levels. A banged-up Lonzo Ball (adductor strain), was expected to handle much of the ball-handling but has been relegated to being a spot up shooter, accounting for just 3.8 drives per game.
So, as Holiday spends more time and energy breaking down defenses, his shooting suffers. While it doesn’t explain everything, it’s illustrative of how New Orleans can help lift up its scuffling shooting guard.
Because until Holiday can regain the form of the past two seasons, and start heading toward the preseason expectations bestowed upon him, the Pelicans are unequipped to compete in the Western Conference. Even with Zion Williamson on the court.
The Pelicans need Jrue Holiday. Not just as a defender, or a playmaker, but also a reliable scorer.
Entering Wednesday, his true shooting percentage ranked 190th out of 216 NBA starters this season. It’s not just below Griffin’s lofty standards. It’s flat-out bad.
And it illustrates how urgently the Pelicans must concoct a way to help him. It could be by getting Holiday back into a pure off-ball role, allowing him to cut freely. Perhaps they could encourage him to finish his drives more often than kicking out to teammates.
The solution is not as obvious as the problem.
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“I’m just going to keep pushing,” Holiday said. “Everybody goes through slumps. I’m not shooting too efficiently. I’ve missed free throws, missed easy buckets at the rim and my 3 is not falling.
“But, I’m making other things happen, so I know when I’m out there it’s not just scoring. I can produce in other ways.”
However, the Pelicans’ first 10 games have proven Holiday’s scoring still matters. And they won’t be truly competitive until it’s fixed.
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