The Report on Jrue Holiday
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The Report on Jrue Holiday
Jrue Holiday was supposed to be long gone by the time the 76ers selected with the 17th pick of the NBA Draft. At one point, Holiday was rumored to be in contention with the Sacramento Kings at the 4th spot of the Draft. But as tonight's draft progressed, Holiday's name went uncalled and as each pick passed he remained the highest-rated player remaining on the board.
Luckily for the Sixers, the highest-rated player left was also a point guard, a position the Sixers needed to fill.
Holiday will be in Philly tomorrow -- Friday -- at 1 p.m. for a press conference at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
We've spent weeks leading up to this draft looking at UNC's Ty Lawson and VCU's Eric Maynor as well as UNC's Wayne Ellington -- mostly because Holiday was projected, by nearly everyone, to be off the board.
Why did he slip?
For one, he is 19 years old and played one less-than-stellar season at UCLA, averaging only 8.5 points and game and shooting 30.7 percent from the three-point line. For another, there was some concern over an injury that might have scared a few teams away. Tonight, Stefanski said Holiday might have fallen because he was No. 2 on a number of teams' lists. In that one season at UCLA, Holiday played out of position at shooting guard. Word is that Holiday, one of the top high school player in the country coming out of high school, went to UCLA thinking Bruins point guard Darren Collison was leaving for the NBA. Collison stayed in school and Holiday was forced to play out of position.
It's all speculation, but what matters is: What is Holiday's game? Will he play right away? Could he start if Andre Miller doesn't re-sign?
Only minutes after Holiday was selected, assistant GM Tony DiLeo said the Sixers did not expect Holiday to make an impact this coming season. A few minutes later, on a conference call from Madison Square Garden, Holiday said he disagreed with that, saying he expects to contribute right away.
Of course he does.
We could go on for 1,000 words about Lawson's game, but Holiday remains a little more unknown. What we do know is that Holiday has the size -- 6-foot-4 with a 6-7 wingspan -- to be a dominant point guard, although he didn't have a chance to show GMs his point guard skills at UCLA.
Holiday's strengths appear to be his versatility, his court vision, and his ability to execute, especially off the pick-and-roll. He doesn't seem to be a guy with explosive athleticism and game-changing skills in transition (like Ty Lawson), but as far as strong point guard skills and upside (let's keep in mind this kid is 19), Holiday has plenty of that.
Tonight, Stefanski spoke about Holiday. Reading between the lines, it sounded like Stefanski didn't think Holiday would come in right away and earn all kinds of playing time, but he did say he was impressed with Holiday's defensive abilities and added that defense might be a way for Holiday to find some playing time.
The knocks on Holiday are that he is unproven (and this is very true, with what was seen at UCLA), that he doesn't have a go-to scoring mentality (although that might not be a bad thing on a Sixers roster filled with guys who think they are go-to scorers), that his outside shot needs work (although I heard from a number of people that his form is textbook and he just needs more repetition), and that he has average athleticism and explosiveness (sounds like another Sixers point guard we know well...).
All in all, the Sixers stole one tonight at the 17th spot. It was the 17th spot in a weak draft and they got lottery-pick talent. Going forward, I think it's a stretch to think Holiday will get much playing time this coming season. If the Sixers don't re-sign Andre Miller (free agency opens July 1), expect the Sixers to sign a veteran point guard with the mid-level exception they have. Considering nine point guards were chosen in the first 21 picks (or right around there), there will be a number of solid point guards looking for jobs this summer.
--Kate
Nice analysis on this summers plans. I'll be interested to see who they target in FA if Miller doesn't resign.— sla6yer
Comment removed.- Saw him play - and you can tell he has amazing talent. So quick and big. He just played out of position at the 2 guard.— AllDawk_AllTheTime
- Comment removed.
- I don't know if Holiday is "the guy," but he's the type of player they should have taken. Stefanski knows this team is not championship caliber, hopefully if Holiday's upside is realized it'll occur at the same time that other pieces have been added and Thad/Iggy/Speights/Smith (the "nucleus", or whichever of them are left) have peaked. This is about rebuilding, not making an immediate run- and that's the appropriate way to look at this team. The only thing that doesn't make sense is Brand- an older player coming off injuries and making a lot of $. Look at Oklahoma City for the blueprint to what we need to try to do- not that they have arrived, but you can see them adding the pieces with young talent who have chances to be stars, or at least solid NBAers. Hopefully, other than the mid-cap signing mentioned by Kate, there's at least one more move to come before the season- adding by subtracting Sam, Willie, and/or Lou.— doctorj
- Kate, will Christmas come to the 76ers in June?— jpapp21
- looks like Holiday, Young, Speights, and maybe Smith are the future. Was Iguodala really in the Sixers war room last night? Those urkel glasses probably grant him access anywhere he goes.— CallerNo9
- I'm with you doctorj. The best thing they can do is get rid of any/all of those players. If they can add a young shooter as an undrafted free agent signing and they'll probably need one more big man with energy off the bench.— HandNik
- NBA salary cap stuff is crazy, but from what I understand, the Sixers can sign Miller for up to 175% of his salary last year for at least a 2 year contract.(early Bird exception) If they don't sign Miller they need to find the best PG on the market for 5.585 million, the mid-level exception. Looks like getting Miller a 2 year deal makes a lot of sense with their 2 year project of a PG they just drafted. However, if Holiday really takes off, they're stuck paying Miller for another year, hopefully he won't be untradeable at whatever salary he demands this year.— phasor
- Said in an earlier post some of the stuff Kate mentioned, mainly this guy is "19" we have to give him a couple of seasons at least, yeh, we're tired of waiting on potential, well suck it up folks, we have to do it again. Now it really didn't matter who they drafted when it comes to the upcomong season did it, you didn't think we'd make it to the finals with this pick or due to any trades they might make yet did you (you did, hmm, can I interset you in some land in Utah with a shore view) didn't think so! So don't come down on Drew (oops, Jrue) I repeat "He's 19" So we'll wait on him, right folks!!!— FireChief
- The Sixers need to learn from the OKC Thunder about how to deal with upside. When you draft young talent, throw em on the floor, give 'em major minutes, if you win great, if you lose you get in the lottery again, but at least it's fun for the crowd to watch the young guys play, even when they struggle. Mainly I'm thinking bench Green and Dalembert. All they do is take valuable minute from our 'upside' guys and we are not winning a championship with Green and Dalembert so don't put them in "when the matchups favor them". Instead, let Smith, Speights, Thad and Lou struggle.— phasor
- Kate, you are one of the best writers at philly.com. keep up the good work— tommy_the_k
- Huge UCLA and Sixer fan here. I watched Holiday play a lot last season, and whoever said he lacks athleticism is one donut short of a dozen. He's no DeRozen, but he can elevate, I assure you. His game is as polished as they come in every dept for someone his age, and although he struggled defensively at times, mostly in chasing good off-the-ball players around multiple screens, he figured that one out, too. Whatever anyone says, including Jrue himself, he benefitted from playing a year under Ben Howland. The NBA is an unforgiving place, and Howland instills in his players the kind of hard-nosed toughness it takes to succeed at the next level. Philly was lucky he was still around at #17. Lawson and Maynor are probably both more mature players now, but their potential for growth is most likely more limited than is Holiday's. I see him developing into a top-flight PG in the next couple of years, and if he can make the adjustment to living on the east coast(we have seasons here), and doesn't take too much to heart the sometimes uncharitable reactions of some Philly fans(you know who you are), we'll all be glad Stefanski decided to take him. Give the young man a chance. You won't regret it.— DC76erfan
- For one, he is 19 years old and played one less-than-stellar season at UCLA, averaging only 8.5 points and game and shooting 30.7 percent from the three-point line. For another, there was some concern over an injury that might have scared a few teams. GOOD REASON NOT TO DRAFT HIM. What made him more appealing than Maynor, Teague and Lawson?— 76er
- For one, he is 19 years old and played one less-than-stellar season at UCLA, averaging only 8.5 points and game and shooting 30.7 percent from the three-point line. For another, there was some concern over an injury that might have scared a few teams. GOOD REASON NOT TO DRAFT HIM. What made him more appealing than Maynor, Teague and Lawson?— 76er
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
