Milwaukee Bucks star Jrue Holiday has been tasked to guard Devin Booker in their NBA Finals series against the Phoenix Suns, and he is embracing the challenge without hesitation.
While Holiday admitted that it's really tough to guard Booker given his ability to score the basketball in a multitude of ways, he is not one to back down. After all, above anything else, he has this desire to stop the young scorer no matter what.
“It's a challenge. He can score from everywhere. He can score in a variety of ways and slowing him down is a challenge. But it's also fun to witness, like the offensive performance that he's putting in the Finals and having to just kind of put his team on his shoulders,” the Bucks floor general said on Booker, per Malika Andrews of ESPN.
When asked about how guarding Booker pushes him to be better, Holiday had a simple and straightforward answer with regards to his mentality.
“I don't want him to win. I don't want him to score,” the 31-year-old NBA veteran added.
Devin Booker has been phenomenal for the Suns in the series, averaging 30.0 points on 47.1 percent shooting in the Finals so far. In Games 4 and 5, he actually banked back-to-back 40-point outings, albeit in a losing effort.
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That doesn't mean Jrue Holiday and the Bucks are doing a poor job defending him. Holiday's Game 5 steal is a clear indication how hard they are defending the 24-year-old.
As Jrue mentioned, though, Booker's scoring ability is just top-notch. Fortunately, the Bucks have someone who is willing to take the hit to stop the Suns' best player.
Ahead of the biggest game of his career, Bucks guard Jrue Holiday discusses his monster Game 5 steal, defending Devin Booker and more. Oh, and he has a pretty good “Giannis stare” impression. pic.twitter.com/RjHTFqHdxb
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) July 20, 2021
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