For the majority of the 2025-26 season, the Portland Trail Blazers have been without several key rotation players. Damian Lillard and Scoot Henderson are atop that list, with Jrue Holiday not too far behind.
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After playing the first 12 games of the season, Holiday has been on the sidelines with a calf injury that he suffered on November 14 against the Houston Rockets. It has been a tough blow to lose Holiday, considering he is one of the best perimeter defenders the league has to offer. To complement, Holiday also provided a great offensive spark to the team.
The two-time All-Star is averaging 16.7 points, 8.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game; his highest points per game totals since his 2023 All-Star campaign with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Fortunately, the Blazers have been able to stay afloat without him, largely due to the stellar play of Deni Avdija. That said, the Blazers would certainly love for Holiday to return to the court as soon as possible.
Thankfully, it seems that day may finally be upon us. Portland has listed Holiday as Probable ahead of their matchup against the New York Knicks tonight.
Marc Stein reported before the game that the Trail Blazers upgraded Holiday’s status hours before tip-off. This is a great sign for a young team that has mustered a tremendous amount of momentum to begin the new calendar year.
The Trail Blazers have upgraded Jrue Holiday to probable for tonight’s game against the Knicks. Holiday has been sidelined with a calf injury since Nov. 14.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 11, 2026
This would be Holiday’s first NBA game in nearly two months. The safest thing to do is hold back from placing too many expectations on the 35-year-old guard. Although head coach Tiago Splitter hasn’t spoken about Holiday’s expected role, he most likely will come off the bench with the hopes of getting his legs under him.
Nevertheless, Portland is better with the six-time All-Defensive member in the lineup. The Knicks, who have been sliding as of late, already have a lot to worry about with the red-hot Blazers. Their worries are likely to have gotten worse with the news of Holiday’s return.
