Can Jrue Holiday Be the First Backcourt DPOY in 22 years?
It has been 22 years since Gary Payton won the NBA’s most coveted Defensive Award. Leading the league in steals (2.9), and doing his best to shut down the greatest player of all-time in those 1995-96 NBA Finals, Payton confidently asserted himself as the game’s very best backcourt stopper. Payton won by an overwhelming majority with 56 first-place votes to just 15 for Scottie Pippen. A nine-time All-Defensive First Teamer, Payton is fourth all-time in steals, and the only point guard to ever win the prestigious award.
“The best part of basketball for me is getting out there, guarding somebody, and making them fear me.”
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013, “The Glove” was called “probably as complete a guard as there ever was” by Gail Goodrich. His offensive acumen aside, Payton was a dogged defender because of his relentless tenacity, his lateral footspeed, fullcourt awareness, and his infamous trash talking.
Most important, however, was his lockdown stance. A wide stance, shoulders pressed forward, and a parallel back to the ground giving him the prime position to reach into an opposing player’s dribbling pocket.
Due to the hand-checking rules instituted to keep defenders’ from impeding the progress of the offensive player, and the ever-growing emphasis on “freedom of movement,” defending in the way that Payton used to has become nearly an insurmountable task in 2018-19.
But the defense of Gary Payton has found a new host in Jrue Holiday.
Casual NBA fans were made privy to Jrue Holiday’s defensive backcourt prowess during the NBA’s 2017-18 playoffs when the Pelicans stole the first-round spotlight from the Portland Trailblazers en route to a 4-0 sweep. Holiday’s energy held All-NBA First-Teamer Damian Lillard to a forgettable 18 points per game on 33% shooting from the field.
Holiday got the recognition he deserved, finishing a First-Team All-NBA Defender alongside teammate, Anthony Davis.
.@stephenasmith applauds Jrue Holiday for shutting down Damian Lillard early in the series. pic.twitter.com/V1S87EOukM
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 18, 2018
Holiday has picked up right where he left off in 2018-19, extending his list of conquered backcourt foes to JJ Redick (5/15), Jimmy Butler (5/16), DeMar DeRozan (7/19), Jamal Murray (4/14), Tim Hardaway Jr. (9/23), Jeff Teague (4/13), Devon Booker (4/12), Zach Lavine (9/26), Russell Westbrook (6/16), Lillard/McCollum (9/24), Caris Levert (8/23), Avery Bradley (1/8), and Chris Paul/James Harden (12/27).
Assignment | Possessions | Field Goal Makes | Field Goal Attempts | FG% | Turnovers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Devin Booker | 51 | 3 | 9 | 33.3% | 3 |
Zach Lavine | 38 | 4 | 12 | 33.3% | 1 |
Paul George | 36 | 1 | 8 | 12.5% | 1 |
Russell Westbrook | 28 | 1 | 3 | 33.3% | 6 |
DeMar DeRozan | 67 | 8 | 20 | 40.0% | 2 |
Kevin Durant | 66 | 5 | 11 | 54.5% | 1 |
Gary Harris | 24 | 3 | 10 | 30.0% | 0 |
Joe Ingles | 22 | 0 | 4 | 0.0% | 0 |
Donovan Mitchell | 24 | 3 | 4 | 75.0% | 0 |
Caris LeVert | 42 | 4 | 15 | 26.7% | 1 |
Tobias Harris | 27 | 1 | 4 | 25.0% | 0 |
Lou Williams | 23 | 1 | 7 | 14.3% | 2 |
Total | 448 | 34 | 107 | 31.8% | 17 |
- Stats compiled by Editor-in-Chief to TheBirdWrites.com, Oleh Kosel
Damian Lillard is 0-for-8 with Jrue Holiday as a primary defender in the series, per @ESPNStatsInfo.
— J.E. Skeets (@jeskeets) April 18, 2018
Holiday isn’t nearly the talker that Payton was, though he does have his flashes, but take a look at his stance on this defensive possession against former teammate and ever-improving backcourt shooting specialist, Buddy Hield:
Jrue Holiday. pic.twitter.com/S2L53uf8Wj
— Adi (@AdiBrescic) October 20, 2018
Critics will point to the safety net behind Holiday as the principal argument in voting against the former Bruin, but Holiday earns more difficult assignments than most, often times bodying up against Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo. And while Holiday’s 1.6 steals per game pale in comparison to The Glove’s numbers, Holiday is the superior shot blocker by far.
Jrue Holiday with a big time block to finish the game, great defense all game!! ????????pic.twitter.com/9dxtZhbHNx
— #NBA2K4LIFE (@NBA2KGames) April 15, 2018
Holiday also possesses the rare blend of speed, size and power to absorb contact from frontcourt players when switched, pull the chair, strip, or simply just reject the would-be attempt.
“He’s a physical defender, creates a lot of steals by being in the guards,” Terrence Jones told SB Nation’s Kristian Winfield in late February. “He definitely reacts to all my calls, when it comes to my communicating on the pick-and-rolls, correct almost every time. It makes it real easy when a guy is pressuring the ball like he does.”
The underrated thing about Jrue Holiday’s defense is his ability to switch onto bigger opponents. Won’t get out-muscled. pic.twitter.com/tz22QkcLdi
— James Grayson (@jsgrayson) January 31, 2018
The New Orleans Pelicans are eight points better defensively per 100 possessions, and 16 points better when paired with one or two of Davis, Elfrid Payton, Nikola Mirotic, and E’Twaun Moore.
rue Holiday’s ability to depress opponents’ field-goal percentages matches his reputation as an on-ball stalwart. With his size, length and tenacity, he’s a difficult assignment for any scoring guard, and he knows it.” – Adam Fromal, Bleacher Report
Jrue Holiday has a long road ahead of him in a race that favors the rim-protecting frontcourt players. Since 1988, the award has gone to a center 24 times, a power forward three times, a small forward twice, and a backcourt player just one time.
But if there could be a backcourt player worthy of the award, look no further.
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