Brooklyn Nets superstar small forward Kevin Durant says New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday is the best guard defender in the NBA.
Durant was recently a guest on Pelicans guard J.J. Redick's podcast and he talked about how great of a defender Holiday is and when Jrue gained his respect.
“You put Jrue in any system, any coach is going to ask him to guard the best player,” Kevin Durant said.
“We played them in 2018, second round and he guarded me the whole series. He was picking me up full court, he was guarding me in the post. Actually, it was tough to dribble on Jrue Holiday. He slides his feet so well, he’s got good hands, he’s strong, he’s got good instincts. I gained a lot of respect for him in that series because he went from guarding me to Klay (Thompson) to Steph (Curry) to guarding Draymond (Green), neutralizing picks and rolls. He’s special. He’s special on that side of the ball.”
Holiday was surprisingly not named to one of the two All-Defensive teams this season. Redick and Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard both took to Twitter to slam the media for not voting for Holiday.
However, Holiday doesn't need an All-Defensive spot to validate his defense when some of the best players in the NBA such as Durant and Lillard are vouching for him.
For the Pelicans this season, Holiday appeared in 61 games. He averaged 19.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists while shooting 45.5 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from beyond the arc and 70.9 percent from the free-throw line.
The Pelicans missed the playoffs in 2019-20 for the second straight season. The franchise will be searching for a new head coach this offseason after firing Alvin Gentry.
Follow Us
Subscribe