The Milwaukee Bucks knew they had to make a big change after suffering an embarrassing playoff defeat in the bubble. With Giannis Antetokounmpo's supermax decision coming up, the status quo simply wasn't working and a bold move was needed to secure the signature of the two-time MVP. The Bucks got real bold by trading a boatload of assets for Jrue Holiday to be an upgrade over Eric Bledsoe, who had become an offensive liability when it mattered.
It was an overpay for Holiday, who's a terrific two-way player but not a superstar-level player like Anthony Davis. The trade package included three first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps, making the draft compensation similar to the Davis trade (good for the New Orleans Pelicans). Still, Milwaukee had to shoot its shot, so the team went for it and was ultimately okay with going all in.
Holiday enjoyed a stellar regular season with the Bucks and played a key role in sweeping away the Miami Heat in Round 1. However, the soon-to-be 31-year-old has looked more like Bledsoe so far against the Brooklyn Nets, with his game-winning layup in Game 3 salvaging what had been an atrocious offensive performance to that point.
Holiday had just nine points on 4-of-14 shooting in Game 3 and is at 13.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game in the series. His shooting percentages sit at 39.5% from the field and 30.8% from 3-point range. For the playoffs, his shooting numbers are Bledsoe-esque:
Jrue Holiday's shooting as a Buck in the playoffs:
44-25-60 (49.21 TS%)Eric Bledsoe's shooting as a Buck in the playoffs:
41-25-73 (49.4 TS%)— Josh Eberley 🇨🇦 (@JoshEberley) June 11, 2021
Jrue Holiday is a better player than Eric Bledsoe when you set aside the shooting thanks to his defense and playmaking prowess, but the Bucks didn't give up all that draft capital for a marginal upgrade. They acquired Holiday to be a legitimate difference-maker at point guard, and he needs to be a lot better if Milwaukee is going to come back in this series and stun the mighty Nets.
This doesn't mean Holiday has to come out and score 25 points per game on high efficiency. That's just not really his game, though he did do it once against the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2018 playoffs. But the veteran guard needs to at least get up to around 20 points per game (at minimum) and start hitting some 3-pointers while running a cleaner offense. The Bucks have looked way too discombobulated offensively in this series, and while that's not all on Holiday, he needs to bring more to the table.
We'll see how Jrue Holiday performs in a crucial Game 4 against the Nets on Sunday.
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