The Portland Trail Blazers' fantastic start to the 2026-27 season continued on Monday night, as they overcame the stubborn Denver Nuggets after a slow start. Point guard Jrue Holiday was crucial to turning the game around, and his near triple-double performance in the wake of Ja Morant going down with a hamstring injury has given his Sixth Man of the Year case real credibility.
Holiday the perfect veteran to see Trail Blazers through tough games
Holiday had 17 points, 10 assists and eight boards (shout-out to Donovan Clingan for grabbing a team-high 18 while wrestling with Nikola Jokic), and he finished with a +13 on the night. As soon as he checked into the game for Scoot Henderson, the Trail Blazers began to chip away at a lead which the Nuggets had built at the free-throw line.
Henderson's inability to have an impact every night is nothing new, but the defensive versatility and decision-making of Holiday once he was involved elevated the entire team. Toumani Camara might be the team's best perimeter defender, and Damian Lillard had some throwback moments, successfully hounding the bigger Aaron Gordon when he had the ball in hand, but it was the ability of Holiday to stick to players bigger or quicker that was critical.
Not only that, but Holiday kept the ball moving offensively and was an impressive 3-of-4 from deep. Portland has been one of the surprise packages to begin the season, and their 5-1 start feels like it is for real, in part because they have a veteran like Holiday who knows how to come in off the bench and make winning plays on both ends of the court.
Now 36 years old, he looks to have found the perfect situation to highlight his talents, while also ensuring he can save his body for a long season (25.7 minutes per game, the lowest since his rookie season). Coming in for Henderson and seeing an immediate improvement will also continue to do wonders for his own budding Sixth Man of the Year candidacy.
True value of Holiday will be felt when Morant is healthy
Holiday is the best cover you could hope for in the wake of Morant's injury, but once the Trail Blazers are whole again, their depth at the point guard position is going to do wonders for all involved. On the nights when the combination of Morant and Lillard is being picked on effectively on the defensive end, the introduction of Holiday will give the Trail Blazers a different look. He also allows the team to switch more, given his ability to guard one through four.
The franchise can continue to be patient with Henderson to see if there is anything there, because anything they get out of him will be viewed as a bonus as long as Holiday is coming off the bench. For a player who has done it all in this league and may well make it to the Hall of Fame one day, a late-career Sixth Man push in an unexpected location would be fitting.
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