Former Finals MVP Andre Iguodala claims that Jrue Holiday is an underrated defender, adding he needs to have more defensive accolades to his name.
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Milwaukee Bucks guard has been one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA for some time now. Apart from Giannis Antetokounmpo’s exceptional play, Holiday’s stellar defense was one of the reasons the Bucks won the chip.
The 31-year-old is agile and can stand in front of almost anyone with his exceptional lateral quickness. In addition, he has a great instinct which helps him play in the passing lanes and notch up steals. However, his physicality really makes him stand out.
Many NBA players throughout the years have lauded Jrue Holiday’s defense abilities. The latest of them is former finals MVP Andre Iguodala. So, what exactly did he say about Jrue Holiday’s defense? Read on and find out…
Andre Iguodala Says Jrue Holiday Should Have 3 DPOY Awards And 9 First Team All-Defensive Selections.
Warriors forward Andre Iguodala recently has been making headlines, but not for his on-court display. Firstly, Iguodala said Kyrie is top-20 of all time, which received a ton of backlash from fans.
However, his recent take is not as outrageous as the previous ones. The 37-year-old forward claims Jrue Holiday should have won 3 DPOY’s.
Via Sam Amick of the Athletic –
“You can write this down. Jrue Holiday should have three Defensive Player of the Year (awards), and he should be first-team All-Defensive for the last nine years.”
Saying that he should have 3 DPOY’s is a bit of a stretch, with the league also consisting of various other defensive stalwarts like Rudy Gobert, Ben Simmons when he plays among others…
When pressed on the matter, Iggy brought up Kevin Durant’s name into the conversation.
“I don’t care. You can ask — who’s the best scorer in the league? Who’s the most gifted scorer in basketball history… Ask (Durant) who’s the hardest guard — who’s the guy who gives him the toughest time…”
“And Kevin Durant is like, ‘Yo, Jrue Holiday is different.’ You see what happened (with Team USA) in the Olympics when Jrue Holiday got there? But I’m crazy, right?”
Well, he does have a point. Team USA’s defense got exponentially better whenever Holiday was on the court. Holiday is the one guy you can bank on to lock someone down. Just ask Damian Lillard.
Even if his offensive production isn’t always consistent, one can surely expect Holiday to be clamping up your favorite player night in and night out.
Jrue Holiday earns a lot of admiration among his peers. Hopefully, we can see Holiday get his respect now, and possibly win a DPOY in the future.
