The Portland Trail Blazers' backcourt logjam has been a strength so far in their 3-0 start to preseason. That's largely due to the unselfishness of each individual player buying into whatever role is required to win. But none of it would've been possible had it not been for the versatility of Jrue Holiday in particular.
Jrue Holiday's versatility solves Portland's backcourt logjam
This offseason, the Blazers lost Jerami Grant, Kris Murray, and Matisse Thybulle, all at forward, with no clear replacements. At Media Day, GM Joe Cronin said that while they may be a little thin at wing/forward, it was also a sign of confidence in the remaining group they do have. That's headlined by All-Star Deni Avdija and former All-Defensive Team member Toumani Camara. But another player Cronin mentioned was Holiday:
"Bodies-wise, we're probably a little thin there. We're going to play Jrue Holiday some there, which will help our depth there and versatility and just overall skill set competence," Cronin said."Positionally, we have a lot of guards and a lot of bigs and not as many forwards and wings, but we really believe in the forwards and wings that we have, so, you know, like any team and in any season, health matters. If we have some injuries, particularly at the small forward and power forward positions, we could get into some depth issues. So we've got to do our best to stay fresh and healthy."
Portland unfortunately has already failed at staying healthy, suffering another offseason injury for the second consecutive year. Last year it was Scoot Henderson's lingering hamstring injury; this time around it's Shaedon Sharpe's knee.
Shaedon Sharpe's injury makes Jrue Holiday even more important
Portland's high-flyer is set to be reevaluated in six months after undergoing surgery for his lateral meniscus tear in the right knee. That's another wing the Blazers will be without in their rotation for a significant portion of the season, placing Sharpe's expected return somewhere around the All-Star break or early March.
Camara's underappreciated availability will be especially huge for the Blazers this season in particular. Outside of him and Avdija, the remaining wings are Sidy Cissoko and Vit Krejci. Serviceable role players, but not necessarily ones you want playing 20+ minutes on a playoff team.
That's where Holiday's versatility comes in to fill in the gaps. By sliding to the wing, there's suddenly enough minutes to fit all of Portland's guards into the rotation. That's especially the case with Sharpe's 30 minutes a night now vacated for the time being.
We recently praised Ja Morant's unselfishness, as his willingness to buy into a lessened role for the betterment of the team is one reason why this backcourt formula is actually working better than expected. But another reason, the importance of which can't be overstated, is Holiday's versatility.
Many wondered if Holiday would be the next domino to fall after the Blazers' surprising deal for Morant. They've held firm, prioritizing talent above all. And while skill gets you a long way in this league, ultimately the best rosters are ones that truly complement one another.
Portland still has to figure out some things this season in that regard under first-year head coach Micah Nori. But early on, it's clear Holiday's versatility is the key to making this entire wonky roster work in Portland.
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