Anthony Davis may have dominated the headlines for the New Orleans Pelicans last year, but Jrue Holiday was quietly establishing himself as one of the best two-way guards in the league.
Davis is gone and now the Pelicans are building their roster with a bunch of young talent. Along with the rebuild, Holiday has suddenly become the veteran guy in the locker room.
While other teams in the Western Conference made big splashes and blockbuster deals, New Orleans executive vice president David Griffin stockpiled his assets and got a little bit lucky — getting a haul for Davis after landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, which would end up being Zion Williamson.
Holiday talked to Scott Kushner of Nola.com about what it was like to experience such a shakeup in the offseason:
“From the beginning, Griff has said he was going to do what he did,” Holiday said. “I wouldn’t say to the extent of getting the No. 1 pick and that stuff, but he always said he wasn’t just trying to have a young team and do it that way. He wanted to win. He wanted me to win. He surrounded us with veterans and young guys who are ready to win, and kind of have to win and perform to reach the next level they want in their career.”
“I really just want to win and I think we can. I’m just doing whatever I can do to help.”
Holiday is coming off a season in which he averaged career highs in points (21.2), assists (7.7) and rebounds (5.0) per game. The leadership he provides to the young players on the Pelicans' roster could be instrumental in determining how they progress over the course of the season.
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