Draft Countdown: Jrue Holiday

[jrsmith]

I personally love this kid, I wouldnt mid taking a chance on him if we acquire a 2nd pick.

[anj]

May 8, 2009

Jrue Holiday didn’t stand out in any one area, but he’s similar to Tyreke Evans in how he needs to develop a jumper to complement his finishing ability.

Not super efficient overall (.86 PPP), Holiday has the lowest usage of any NCAA player on our list at 9.7 possessions per game. He played a small role on a very slow-paced team, which he’ll like to tell you all about if his recent interviews are any indication. He got about a third of those possessions as a finisher at the rim, where he posted a PPP of 1.2 that places him well above average. He scored 1.34 PPP in transition on limited touches in UCLA’s system, but showed that he can get to the rim and make plays in the open floor.

Unfortunately, the good news ends there for the most part. Holiday shot only 28% from the field on his catch and shoot jumpers, landing him second to last, and his .75 PPP on pull up jumpers leaves a lot to be desired as well. His inordinately large percentage of possessions coming from spot up shots (27.8%) indicates that he spent heavy minutes off the ball –usually when Darren Collison was on the floor. Couple that with his questionable jump shot and you have a clear-cut recipe for disaster, which is exactly how he’d likely describe his first (and likely last) season in the NCAA.

I do not like those numbers at ALL. Couple that with his ordinary athletics and you have the road way to disaster.

March 21, 2009
UCLA’s other backcourt starter, Jrue Holiday, was unable to build on the strong showing he had against VCU on Thursday, having a particularly awful second half. He finished the game 1/6 from the field and 1/3 from the line, with 6 assists and 4 turnovers. His shot-selection and decision making skills looked very questionable, as he forced the issue on a couple of bad 3-point attempts, and also committed some bone-headed turnovers. It’s pretty evident that Holiday isn’t quite as good right now as some people (ourselves included) had him pegged going into the season, as he’s not at anywhere near the level of other fab-freshmen we’ve become accustomed to over the past few seasons. Combine that with the fact that Holiday isn’t all that naturally gifted from a physical standpoint—being an average athlete by NBA standards—and it’s safe to say that he would be well served returning for another year of college basketball. Holiday’s point guard skills, perimeter shooting ability and decision making need a lot of polish, and since he won’t be deemed to have quite as much upside as other combo guards in this draft (such as Jeff Teague for example) he’s no lock to be drafted in the lottery, or maybe even the top 20? That’s not just a gut reaction based on one poor game today—he’s been very disappointing for the last six weeks now, as a few NBA people have pointed that out to us.

I've noticed you like to throw up these DX reports a lot. I would be careful about that. Check out some of the things they said about Adam Morrison, among others. While it's useful, DX isn't the draft bible. Anyone who's followed more than one of these will tell you that.

[Dennis P]

May 8, 2009

Jrue Holiday didn’t stand out in any one area, but he’s similar to Tyreke Evans in how he needs to develop a jumper to complement his finishing ability.

Not super efficient overall (.86 PPP), Holiday has the lowest usage of any NCAA player on our list at 9.7 possessions per game. He played a small role on a very slow-paced team, which he’ll like to tell you all about if his recent interviews are any indication. He got about a third of those possessions as a finisher at the rim, where he posted a PPP of 1.2 that places him well above average. He scored 1.34 PPP in transition on limited touches in UCLA’s system, but showed that he can get to the rim and make plays in the open floor.

Unfortunately, the good news ends there for the most part. Holiday shot only 28% from the field on his catch and shoot jumpers, landing him second to last, and his .75 PPP on pull up jumpers leaves a lot to be desired as well. His inordinately large percentage of possessions coming from spot up shots (27.8%) indicates that he spent heavy minutes off the ball –usually when Darren Collison was on the floor. Couple that with his questionable jump shot and you have a clear-cut recipe for disaster, which is exactly how he’d likely describe his first (and likely last) season in the NCAA.

I do not like those numbers at ALL. Couple that with his ordinary athletics and you have the road way to disaster.

March 21, 2009
UCLA’s other backcourt starter, Jrue Holiday, was unable to build on the strong showing he had against VCU on Thursday, having a particularly awful second half. He finished the game 1/6 from the field and 1/3 from the line, with 6 assists and 4 turnovers. His shot-selection and decision making skills looked very questionable, as he forced the issue on a couple of bad 3-point attempts, and also committed some bone-headed turnovers. It’s pretty evident that Holiday isn’t quite as good right now as some people (ourselves included) had him pegged going into the season, as he’s not at anywhere near the level of other fab-freshmen we’ve become accustomed to over the past few seasons. Combine that with the fact that Holiday isn’t all that naturally gifted from a physical standpoint—being an average athlete by NBA standards—and it’s safe to say that he would be well served returning for another year of college basketball. Holiday’s point guard skills, perimeter shooting ability and decision making need a lot of polish, and since he won’t be deemed to have quite as much upside as other combo guards in this draft (such as Jeff Teague for example) he’s no lock to be drafted in the lottery, or maybe even the top 20? That’s not just a gut reaction based on one poor game today—he’s been very disappointing for the last six weeks now, as a few NBA people have pointed that out to us.

I've noticed you like to throw up these DX reports a lot. I would be careful about that. Check out some of the things they said about Adam Morrison, among others. While it's useful, DX isn't the draft bible. Anyone who's followed more than one of these will tell you that.

Definitely not the bible but some of the stuff the present are clear and to the point. 28% on catch and shoot is factual. I don't solely rely on it but it gives you a pretty clear view at what type of player he is projected to be...

[SpaceJam]

Worst Case: Antonio Daniels (Who was actually a pretty good bench player)
Best Case: Chauncey Billups (Who had shooting issues at the start of his career and was a bit of a tweener too)

He would be great with the second pick and would solidify the pg position for the raps for years to come.

Antonio Daniels was a big prospect, and one of those guys that "could have been." If he turns into what AD could have become, then that would be a Chauncey Billups.

[Zeno]

I wouldn't mind him at 9. He's one of my favorite players. Reminds me of Barbosa with better defence. I think if he went to Louisville or Memphis, he'd be top 5.

[Crazy-Canuck]

This kid is climbing into the lottery and would take a shot at him at 9 if DD is off the board.

Some notes from his Sactown workout.
[quote]"He's a good shooter, (adept) at drawing and kicking, penetrating and finishing," Howland said via cell phone. "He can really finish over length. He didn't have the ball as much ... because we had (Darren) Collison back, and in five-on-five, you'll see his greatest strength is his feel for the game. He's an outstanding passer."/[quote]

[quote]Holiday nonetheless rates higher than Collison, partly because of his defense and body type. Almost 6-foot-5 in sneakers and a toned 200 pounds, he has long arms and huge hands./[quote]

http://www.sacbee.com/sports/story/1883464.html

I think he is the 3rd most talented player in the draft, he was just stuck in the wrong system and the wrong time.

[Mr.Raptorsingh]

This kid is climbing into the lottery and would take a shot at him at 9 if DD is off the board.

I think he is the 3rd most talented player in the draft, he was just stuck in the wrong system and the wrong time.

Hopefully, he's still there at 9. He does seem to be moving up, smokescreen or no smokescreen.

I think this guy is very talented, but I think Brandon Jennings is pretty damn talented in his own right. He's right up there with Holiday IMO.

[Assassin_1]

I wouldn't mind drafting him once he develops he be good enough by the 10' season to take the starting role so we can start building around him Bargnani and who ever we get for Calderon and Bosh.

[Hendrix]

I'de be cool with drafting Holiday and hiring Alvin Williams as a assistant coach.

[rise of raptors]

Can Holiday effectively play the SG position or is he more suited for point? If he can be a 2 that can handle the ball (pass/slash) AND play off the ball, I can see him being a good fit next to Calderon.

[rise of raptors]

Workout video of Jrue Holiday with the Kings:
http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/sports/kings/

[Crazy-Canuck]

Can Holiday effectively play the SG position or is he more suited for point? If he can be a 2 that can handle the ball (pass/slash) AND play off the ball, I can see him being a good fit next to Calderon.

He'd be Jose replacement.

Holliday is long, strong and would be our best defender at pg since Alvin.
The addition of Delfino and Holliday improves our perimeter defense.

[rapluva]

IMO, he's still very young. One of the younger players in the draft and has a lot of time to improve. Dagger, in a seperate thread made the Alvin Williams comparison that I agree with. He's a tough, hard-nosed combo guard that's very crafty inside the lane. He's a very good defender and uses his length and strength to his advantage. With a second pick this is the player that I hope BC nabs. He'll be a great fit off the bench and will bring some of the toughness BC is looking for.

Funny, BC has not even acquired the second pick yet and we are deciding who should be drafted with that pick....from what I am reading on other boards, Jrue Holiday may even go in the top 7. So why not draft him at 9 if he is available?

[basketball royalty]

I hope someone picks him up before our pick. I do not want to use this pick on a combo guard.

[totallyr]

IMO, he's still very young. One of the younger players in the draft and has a lot of time to improve. Dagger, in a seperate thread made the Alvin Williams comparison that I agree with. He's a tough, hard-nosed combo guard that's very crafty inside the lane. He's a very good defender and uses his length and strength to his advantage. With a second pick this is the player that I hope BC nabs. He'll be a great fit off the bench and will bring some of the toughness BC is looking for.

Funny, BC has not even acquired the second pick yet and we are deciding who should be drafted with that pick....from what I am reading on other boards, Jrue Holiday may even go in the top 7. So why not draft him at 9 if he is available?

Now your getting the hang of this board, in reality we don't have mods, we have babysitters.

[RapsGM]

Workout video of Jrue Holiday with the Kings:
http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/sports/kings/

From the video he seemed to be a good catch and shoot guy, but when he put the ball on the floor with a dribble or two and then shot the ball, his percentages went down. But he is really young and at 6-5 with shoes, I wouldn't be mad at getting him with the 9th pick.

[NH]

I sincerely doubt Jrue is 6'5 with shoes. He looks more like 6'2 ot 6'3 Guess we have to wait for the official measurements but if Jrue is indeed 6'5, he could well be a top 5-7 pick. While he played more 2 guard in college, appaently he didn't fit that role very well since he is suppose to be a pg?

[Crazy-Canuck]

He was supposed to be a pg, but Collison returned.

So, he had to learn to play off the ball on the fly. To make things worse, he played in a super slow tempo that really didnt suit him.

I think he will be a pg and would have played one in college if it wasnt for Collison.

[LLJ]

I want him to play for us when he eventually shaves "Jru Warrior" in the back of his head.

[Dr Positivity]

Looks like Jrue could go the Kings at 4. Apparantley his workout went great and they love him, and the word is Petrie is sour on Jennings. Kings aren't afraid to off the board for the guys they like so we'll see. To be honest I think Jrue might just be a top 5 talent this draft

For all the Demar/Tyreke fans this is good news... Griffin, Rubio, Thabeet, Holliday, Harden would make 5 ahead of us, if the Curry promise to NY is true that's 6. Which would mean a guarantee that either Derozan, Evans, or Jennings is available at 9, probably the first two as I don't see Jennings getting past Golden State. If Jordan Hill goes in the top 8 then there'll be a choice between two. Probably Jennings and Evans as I think the Wolves are taking Derozan

To be honest though I don't like Jennings or Evans ... : (