New Orleans Pelicans’ Jrue Holiday Should Make All-Star Team
By kellanmiller
@KellanMiller
Derick E. Hingle- USA TODAY Sports
Basketball fans can literally spend all day talking about Anthony Davis, so a player like Jrue Holiday inevitably slips under the radar. But Holiday has been truly impressive on both sides of the ball as we approach the fifth week of the season, and I firmly believe that he deserves to make the All-Star team this season. The problem is, the Western Conference is loaded with talent at the point. Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Ty Lawson and Damian Lillard are just a few names that come to mind as very real obstacles to Holiday donning whatever supremely ugly getup the league fashion designers come up with this season uniform wise. While their seasonal stats are currently more glossy than Holiday’s, these players have been given the license to shoot 17 times a game compared to Holiday’s 14.
Let’s take a look at the stats: In 34 MPG, Holiday averages 15.3 PPG and 6.8 APG. Keep in mind that he runs a Monty Williams offense that his heavily contingent on moving the ball around and making sure everyone gets plenty of touches — especially Davis for obvious reasons. But it’s difficult to argue with a 44 percent field goal percentage, and I”m sure former rookie of the year and Holiday’s replacement in Philly, Michael Carter-Williams, would love to be able to shoot at such an efficient rate. The Sixers decided to give up Holiday for two first-round picks, which eventually became Nerlens Noel and Dario Saric (still yet to play in the NBA).
As I mentioned before, it’s rare when a point guard can operate an offense and play tenacious defense as well. After the Denver Nuggets game, where the New Orleans Pelicans somehow dropped what should have been a victory, Nuggets coach Brian Shaw had this to say:
“You know he was an All-star in Philly, then he was hurt last year and people forgot about him. I think Russell Westbrook when he wants to defend, and Jrue Holiday are the two best defensive point guards on the ball just in terms of sliding their feet and their activity with their hands. “
Based off the names I listed, it’s difficult to imagine Holiday making the All-Star team this season. As we all know, All-Star voting is often based on household name viability, and Holiday is currently not in a Jordan, Adidas or State Farm commercial. But aside from Westbrook, who is injured, the premier point guards in the league are playing phenomenal basketball and deserve their roster spot. Regardless, Holiday is one of the main reasons why the Pelicans are very much in the hunt to make the playoffs and why NBA fans are finally paying attention after years of ignoring them. Holiday is a former All-Star, and he is playing like a current one.
The bandwagon is approaching full capacity, and it’s great to be a Pelicans fan. Whether Holiday makes the All-Star team or not (which he probably won’t), if he keeps up his level of play, the Pelicans will be around in the playoffs. That’s what truly matters anyway.
Kellan Miller is a writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @KellanMiller, “like” him on Facebook, or add him on Google Plus.
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