The Portland Trail Blazers received a lot of criticism this offseason when they acquired an expensive and aging Jrue Holiday, who didn't fit their rebuilding timeline. The primary concern pertained to Holiday's declining numbers in Boston. Last season, he averaged 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals on 44/35/91 shooting splits. That had analysts concerned about the level of play Holiday was still capable of providing the Blazers, and the extent to which he could elevate the roster compared to Anfernee Simons.
Ten games into the 2025-26 season, it's apparent that Portland didn't acquire "washed goods."
Jrue Holiday is showcasing the offensive game he sacrificed for championships
Holiday's numbers in Boston were down because not only was he dealing with injuries, but he was also embracing a lessened role. In fact, Holiday has a Hall of Fame case to make, based on the argument that no player has had to sacrifice more to win than Holiday during this era.
He was an All-Star as a traditional point guard with the Philadelphia 76ers, then went to New Orleans, sacrificing touches and playing more off-ball to make a flawed trio with Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon work. Even when he won championships in Milwaukee and Boston, his playmaking and scoring were overshadowed by superstar teammates.
Holiday has a reputation for being one of the league's premier perimeter defenders (although he admittedly may have lost a step in that department as his athleticism has taken a hit at 35 years old). But now that Holiday is in Portland, we're getting a glimpse of the level of offensive impact he could've had throughout the entirety of his career.
This year, he's averaging 17 points, 8.1 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.7 steals on 44/35/81 shooting splits. Holiday is in his 17th season, yet his assists are at a career high!
And it's not like Portland has knockdown shooters or many complementary offensive weapons to help boost his playmaking -- in fact, it's the other way around. He's dishing out 10+ assists somewhat regularly and running a Blazers offense that is flawed and young, yet operating with poise and maturity.
Holiday is showing that he was capable of leading an offense at a high level all along, but throughout his career, he has routinely sacrificed his role and numbers to prioritize the higher goal. Hall of Fame voters seem to overlook this when, at the end of the day, numbers should be viewed secondarily as a factor when evaluating a player's career in a team sport.
From Portland's standpoint, this is precisely why they've emerged as the clear winners of the Holiday-Simons swap. Question marks surround Simons' imperfect fit with his sixth man role in Boston, while Holiday has proven he's willing and able to effectively scale his role for the betterment of the team.