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Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday wasn't at his best in the early stages of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. But, the veteran is now stepping up at the most vital time possible.
Holiday performed well in Game 7 against the Bucks, especially from a defensive standpoint. While he's usually a force on that end, it's been his offensive production that has been a massive improvement as of late.
Through the first two games of this Hawks series, Holiday has dropped 33 and then 22 points. Atlanta has basically had no answer for him, either. He is getting to the hoop at will and shooting the ball extremely well. The Hawks usually have their attention on Giannis or Middleton meanwhile, the Bucks point guard is doing work.
While he is thriving offensively and giving Mike Budenholzer another scoring weapon, it can't be underestimated how important Holiday was in Game 2 at slowing down Trae Young. The Hawks superstar had just 15 points while turning the ball over nine times. That was much in part to the Bucks unit as a whole, but specifically Holiday.
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He made life extremely difficult on Trae with his physicality and grit. It's common knowledge that containing Young is basically the secret to the Bucks advancing to the finals. Holiday must continue to do this.
Back to the scoring side of things though. With Holiday contributing at a high level, it's going to be very hard to beat the Bucks. He's finishing consistently and also dishing out lots of dimes as he registered seven assists on Friday night.
There's no question that Antetokounmpo, Middleton, and Lopez are important to Milwaukee. But, Jrue Holiday's production is just as crucial. When he's performing at an All-Star level on both ends of the floor, it's a recipe for success. The Bucks will need him to keep it up in order to get past the Atlanta Hawks in the conference finals.
