The Pelicans’ top scorer last season became a free agent this summer, and he ended up with a much better situation in Philadelphia, where he now stands as the Sixers’ starting point guard. In the past, Holiday has been labeled as a poor defender, but that is far from the truth. In fact, he is one of the top perimeter defenders in the NBA, and that is why new head coach Brett Brown believes that Holiday can be one of the key pieces to the Sixers’ big picture.
After winning the NBA Championship last year, the Philadelphia 76ers faced the daunting task of bringing the same effort to the upcoming season. While the Sixers had their share of injuries this past season, one player who largely played through the pain was second-year forward, J. J. Redick.
To get a good understanding of the situation, it’s important to know that Ronaldo has two main agents: Jorge Mendes and Simon de Quieroz. The former runs Ronaldo’s affairs for him, while the latter is a consultant for Mendes; they represent a large number of top players in the world, and are instrumental in the transfer market. The Ronaldo-Juventus situation has been a tense one: after four years at the Juventus, Ronaldo returned to United and signed a new £300,000-a-week, four-year deal in the summer of 2018.
Jrue Holiday was the star the Milwaukee Bucks needed to persuade Giannis Antetokounmpo to sign a supermax contract.
Last November, the Bucks made the major move to acquire Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans, giving up a plethora of assets — including two first-round choices — in the process. While the deal provided the Bucks with a more well-known scorer, defender, and playmaker at the point, others questioned if general manager Jon Horst gave up too much for a player who (while an impact player) may not have enough clout to help the team win a title.
Holiday just needed one session to convince Antetokounmpo that he was the missing piece to the championship jigsaw.
Jrue Holiday is widely considered to be the greatest defensive guard in the NBA.
While casual NBA fans may be unaware of Jrue Holiday’s abilities, his teammates are well aware of the effect he makes on a weekly basis. On the defensive end of the court, this is particularly true.
Over the course of the season, a number of great players complimented Holiday’s defensive skills. Holiday is the greatest defensive guard in the NBA, according to Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard, who informed J.J. Redick last August.
One month later, Brooklyn Nets great Kevin Durant told Redick the same thing. Holiday regularly defends the top player and is a difficult matchup because he slips his feet and may nullify the efficacy of pick-and-roll moves, according to him.
All of this adulation, mind you, came shortly before Holiday relocated to Milwaukee from New Orleans. As a result, even though the news had spread, Antetokounmpo had yet to completely comprehend the depth of Holiday’s dominance on that end of the court.
It didn’t take the Greek Freak long to acquire a taste of it.
Holiday persuaded Giannis Antetokounmpo to sign the supermax contract, according to Bucks governor Marc Lasry.
After the Bucks acquired Holiday from the Pelicans, Giannis Antetokounmpo did not sign the supermax contract right away. But it wasn’t long before he realized the feisty guard might play a key role in helping him win his first NBA championship.
Antetokounmpo gushed over Holiday following the first practice of the season, according to Bucks governor Marc Lasry. Holiday’s skill was a key factor in the two-time MVP deciding to accept the supermax contract, according to Lasry.
According to The Athletic, Lasry stated, “I remember the first practice and Jrue is covering Giannis.” “Same thing – Giannis was aware of Jrue’s reputation. ‘Yeah, Giannis now understands how amazing he is,’ Jon remarks after practice that day. He’s being covered by (Holiday’s). He’s a nice guy.’ It was really very enjoyable. That was the case. And I believe that was a major role in Giannis’ decision to re-sign because he saw what we were prepared to do.”
In December, there was just one practice. That was all it took for Holiday to persuade Giannis to sign a long-term contract with the Bucks. Antetokounmpo signed the supermax contract two weeks later. He and Holiday won the Larry O’Brien Trophy together seven months later.
During the 2024 NBA Finals, Holiday made up for his bad shooting with great defense.
In the Finals, Antetokounmpo handled the scoring burden, while Holiday wreaked havoc on Phoenix’s skilled backcourt | Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
During the NBA Finals, Jrue Holiday didn’t exactly put on a scoring clinic, but he still had a good effect on the series.
Over the course of the six games, Holiday shot a dismal 36.1 percent from the field. Despite this, he was a prolific player on both ends of the court, averaging 9.3 assists and 2.2 steals per game. His presence on the defense was crucial.
When paired with Devin Booker, the 31-year-old was outstanding. According to NBA.com, in the first five games, Holiday limited Booker to 9-of-25 shooting from the field and 2-of-9 from beyond the arc. In Game 6, Booker went 8-of-22 from the field and was kept scoreless from long range.
Chris Paul’s workload was also made more difficult by the holiday, forcing him to make uncharacteristic mistakes. As the series progressed, the Point God never seemed completely at ease on the ball.
With a Finals performance to remember, Antetokounmpo rightfully grabbed all the attention. Holiday, on the other hand, accomplished what he does best by leading the Bucks to their first title in 50 years. Giannis saw it coming from the start of the season’s first session.
Basketball Reference provided the statistics.
RELATED: Giannis Antetokounmpo Astounds Suns Coach Monty Williams With Surprising Move After Milwaukee’s NBA Finals Victory
It’s been five years since Cristiano Ronaldo left Old Trafford for the Bernabeu in a world record £80m move after nine seasons with the Red Devils. After everything he’d achieved, it was hard to believe that Ronaldo would leave but that’s exactly what happened. The Madrid outfit also offered him bonuses of £30m each year, which he couldn’t turn down.. Read more about giannis weight and let us know what you think.
Related Tags
- giannis antetokounmpo brothers
- nba playoffs
- nba schedule
- giannis antetokounmpo college
