Overnight, Jrue Holiday morphed into one of the NBA’s scariest defensive predators. His recruitment began in high school, when he earned a reputation as a game-wrecking two-way specimen. At 6-foot-4, Holiday makes his physical presence felt on the floor beyond the offensive end. Physically, he is able to guard all five positions, a talent that has been forged through years of family inspiration and a blue-collar work ethic.
Holiday’s high school career was nothing short of spectacular. He led his team to three California state titles, all while displaying jaw-dropping scoring prowess combined with lockdown defensive prowess. He played for former Army and Virginia Tech Coach Rick Wilkins. With almost half a century of coaching experience, he coached high school as well as college basketball, so Coach Wilkins came with the knowledge. Wilkins gave priceless mentorship to Holiday. Under his tutelage, Holiday learned the intricacies of footwork and defensive positioning, areas that became hallmarks of his pro game.
In the NBA, no advanced defensive statistics can do Holiday’s impact justice. He recently held the Orlando Magic to a dismal 2-for-11 shooting from the field as their primary defender, forcing five turnovers in the process. He parades an astounding collection of defensive honors. For each of the last seven years, by at least one metric, he has ranked in the top-eight for the Defensive Player of the Year award and made All-Defensive First or Second Team six of those seven seasons.
Holiday’s reputation as a perimeter defender is further solidified by his recognition in annual NBA general manager surveys, where he was voted the league’s best perimeter defender in three of the past four years. His ability to obliterate opposing players, particularly on the opposite side of the matchup spectrum, is notable. He completely owned Miami’s Tyler Herro, the NCAA tournament hero for the Hurricanes, holding him to just 33% shooting. He held Herro to just 25% from deep in their encounters. During the Eastern Conference finals, he completely obliterated Tyrese Haliburton, holding him to 3-of-10 shooting. That was as Haliburton struggled to hit just one-of-seven from beyond the arc.
The roots of Jrue Holiday’s basketball journey run deep within his family. His parents, Toya and Shawn Holiday, were both standouts at Arizona State in the early 1980s. Shawn helped instill in Jrue and his siblings fundamentals that had been handed down through generations. His teachings helped shape Jrue’s basketball IQ as well, making his lessons extremely impactful. “I grew up in a family of athletes where that’s all they tried to do to me,” stated Dwight Holiday, Jrue’s brother. Shawn’s mentoring involved watching legendary teams, such as Pete Newell’s powerhouse California Golden Bear teams from the 1950s, which enriched Jrue’s tactical understanding.
Jrue ended up starting to play basketball in eighth grade. He immediately distinguished himself from his brothers by being the first to dedicate himself to sports. Being the second oldest of nine children, a competitive atmosphere at home fed his drive for the game of basketball.
I was our best defensive player,” said Dwight Holiday of their childhood contests, a testimony to a cutthroat nature that flowed through their family bloodlines. Toya added, “It’s so much more fun to have a steal and you go down and slam dunk,” illustrating how defense became an engaging aspect of their upbringing.
Even defensively, as Jrue himself wonders about the psychological aspect of defense. “When you get multiple stops against somebody? It can kind of take them out of the game. It can take their heart away,” he explained. Grant understands the importance of challenging your competition. It’s the same thing that he wants to do to other people, get other people to get their defense better.
As a champion and proven NBA player, Jrue Holiday’s defensive prowess has provided standards for future hopefuls. When opponents speak on him, coaches and players cannot fathom how he changes the game. There’s a reason why coach Brad Stevens said it’s hard to get open looks against Jrue Holiday.
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