The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Phoenix Suns 132-119 on Wednesday. They're now first in the Western Conference with a 6-1 record. Offensively, they haven't seemed to skip a beat without Ja Morant, who remains sidelined after suffering a Grade 2 left hamstring strain.
That's a testament to Jrue Holiday, who continues to step up in that sixth-man role and fill whatever the team needs. That versatility makes Holiday an ideal sixth man in Portland and even makes a compelling case for an early Sixth Man of the Year award.
Holiday strengthened that case on Wednesday and, most importantly, led the Blazers to yet another win. He came off the bench to finish with 15 points and 4 rebounds in this contest, with all fifteen points coming from beyond the arc, where he went 5-of-9. Holiday didn't even attempt a shot inside the paint, played 28 minutes, and still finished with a +13.
Jrue Holiday continues to fill the holes on the Blazers' roster
Scoot Henderson continues to struggle filling in at that starting point guard spot in Morant's absence. He finished with 9 points on 1-of-5 shooting and a -8, the only Blazers starter to finish with a negative plus/minus.
Fortunately, it hasn't mattered much at the start of the season because GM Joe Cronin decided to retain Holiday despite the Morant trade. We've seen Portland overcome early season adversity, whether it's been injuries to Shaedon Sharpe and Morant or Henderson failing to take that leap in that backcourt. Even Vit Krejci exited Wednesday's game after suffering an ankle injury late in the third quarter.
Sidy Cissoko has filled that wing role well off the bench, and Nori could continue to rely on two-way signing Chris Youngblood, who had an impactful game on Monday in their road win against the Denver Nuggets. But at the end of the day, the key pieces -- Jrue Holiday, Deni Avdija, Damian Lillard, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan -- are the ones getting the job done to start the season.
You can see the cohesion in this unit, which stems from the unselfishness and versatility of players like Holiday. I've compared him to the Pokémon Ditto, the way he can transform or clone whoever he's filling in for. He may not have Morant's athleticism, but Holiday fills in offensively by providing more playmaking and shot creation. You see him fill in defensively for Camara, shooting for Lillard, playmaking for Morant, whatever the case may be; Holiday's two-way game and positional versatility have been a huge part of the Blazers' early-season success.
Wednesday's win over the Suns was the latest example of how important he still is on both ends of the floor, and why Cronin had to get him back from the Boston Celtics.
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