Can Jrue Holiday Be the First Backcourt DPOY in 22 years?

By Preston Ellis

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.

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

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:

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.

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 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.

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.

For more on the Pelicans and Jrue Holiday, download our latest episode of “The Bird Calls Podcast,” and subscribe on iTunes today!

Listen to “‘We’re Probably Going to Start Him Some’: Should Julius Randle Be Starting?” on Spreaker.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.