by: Jason T. Davis @WisdomOfSports
He didn't quite seem to shine the way you want a one-and-done freshman PG to shine during his solo year at UCLA. He didn't resemble anything close to the kind of dominance displayed by guys like Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, or even John Wall. He did have nice size for a PG at 6'4, but he certainly wasn't the strongest, the fastest, or even the best leader. He just kind of floated by under the radar. He looked good in transition, but you could easily see it wasn't all there yet. He never looked settled. He had plenty of work to put in. If he didn't look comfortable on the college level, how could he run a pro style offense in the NBA? Scouts and GMs had questions, and rightfully so. Hell, he didn't even look like the best guard in UCLA's back court. By all visible signs, it appeared the men in charge of evaluating talent were right. They saw a kid who didn't look like a star. They saw a kid who would need serious development to possibly become even a consistent contributor at the NBA level. They didn't see start potential though. Jrue didn't dominate in college and would need some time to develop as a player, but so have many top 5 picks. The past few seasons Jrue has been good, but nothing to invoke the imagination of building your franchise around. The mid-first round selection seemed appropriate. Jrue Holiday however, had other images in mind of who he was as a basketball player. Past images. He didn't care who you saw for one year at UCLA. He knew his character, his talent level, and his work ethic would allow him to reach a plateau beyond the expected. He knew these things could allow him to transform into the star player that people used to believe he was destined to become.Jrue Randall Holiday was born in 1990. He grew up in California. It only makes sense that he attended UCLA under the teachings of Ben Howland. Ben Howland is the man responsible for building the Pittsburgh Men's Basketball Program into what it is today. Howland rebuilt the program and obtained an NIT bid his second season, followed by back-to-back Big East regular-season conference titles and NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances. He also took Pitt to three straight Big East Championship games, winning the 2003 tournament title, the first in school history. In 2002, Howland also earned several national coach-of-the-year awards. Howland's win-loss record at Pitt was 89–40 (.690) with four consecutive post-season bids. Howland knew great talent, and he knew winning. He brought in the likes of Kevin Love, Aaron Afflalo and many more. He saw something in Jrue. But back in the day, everybody was seeing it. Every top Division I school in the country wanted Jrue. Which brings me to a great point: What most people in the everyday world don't know about Jrue, is how UNBELIEVABLE he was in high school. He wasn't just another recruit coming through the illustrious halls of UCLA. This was possibly the best player in the country coming to UCLA.
It would seem very apparent now that the position switch and lack of control in the Bruins offense led the scouts to question his entire basketball future in just one short year. There was a consensus flip on opinion regarding Jrue, and it was sudden. They all saw the incredible promise in high school, but most figured after just one mediocre season at UCLA, averaging 8 ppg, 3 rpg & 3 apg, he was just another athletic guard who's gaudy high school statistics were ridiculously fraudulent(there have been a ton of those guys). Many started to believe that he was only dominant in high school because the coach put the ball in his hands every time down the floor and let him do whatever he wanted. Those people would be right, but it's not a knock against him. He put up big numbers, but his teams won...A LOT! Holiday played on his varsity basketball team all four years of high school. He appeared to have ridiculous abilities in the sport from the get-go. The kid was "legendary" good. People came to see him from all over California and even all over the nation. Jrue flourished and grew with every season. During his Senior season, Jrue was named a McDonald's All-American, became the #2 ranked Player in the Country by Rivals.com, and won the Gatorade National Player of the Year. That award is obviously given to the player whom Gatorade deems the "best" high school basketball player in the country. Past winners include: Kevin Love, LeBron James, Greg Oden, Alonzo Mourning, Chris Webber, and even this year's undecided gem, Chicago's own Jabari Parker. Enough said. He averaged 25.9 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 6.9 apg and 4.8 spg, leading Campbell Hall to a 31–5 record and the California Division IV state title over Cardinal Newman High School. Jrue's talent and abilities to lead and win big games was there the whole time. Scouts and GMs judged he was worth a later first round pick, but no one expected him to become a franchise point guard. Not even with time to develop under NBA coaches did they think he could become that good. Now the 76ers reap the rewards.
Jrue's ability to showcase his skills on the college level was undoubtedly hampered by the fact that he appeared to be the second best player in his own back court. That honor would go to current Dallas Mavericks starting PG Darren Collison(Although he did get picked #21 in that same draft). Darren was a Senior and had taken his team to a Final Four with Kevin Love. Jrue was picked before him mainly because of which team had that specific pick, and his possible upside at 6'4 with good character. Collison looked much better in college but was only 6'0 tall. NBA scouts hate that unless you look like Chris Paul out there being a Floor General. Collison also had the vote from the coach. Darren was trusted by Ben Howland. He'd won with Ben Howland. Coach Howland was determined to make this back court work with both guys. This decision brought up a gigantic issue for Jrue's ability to showcase himself to the NBA: he was now forced to play Shooting Guard. That is not his position. He's always played the game one way-With the ball in His hands. Jrue was now forced to play off the ball. A player has no way of demonstrating their point guard skills if they can't run the offense or make decisions. The switch out of position, coupled with being placed in the shadow of his own back court, helped solidify the scouts and GMs questions and concerns about Jrue at the next level. Suddenly, almost every team was taking a step back on Jrue's promise as a true point guard in this league. 17 picks went by, that's a lot of changed minds in one year. Because believe me, the scouts were all over this kid just one year prior. All over him. They couldn't wait for his freshman year to finish, and have a chance at "the next great athletic point guard." Fast forward one college season, and now he's projected in the mid to late first round. Nowhere near the top 5, and outside the lottery of 14. He was a complete underdog in the world of basketball for the first time in his life. Jrue was set to respond...but all in due time. It did take him a few seasons to come into his own, but the progression of his game and his ability has been on display for over a year now. Jrue's no longer 19, and it shows.
This 2012-2013 NBA season, Jrue has finally come into his own. All the promise that was once bestowed upon him has come to fruition. He is one of, if not the leading candidate for Most Improved Player for the 2012-2013 NBA season. After 22 games this year, Holiday is averaging 18.9 ppg, 8.9 apg, 3.9 rpg, 1.5 spg. To put it into context, here are some other Star Guard's 2012-2013 averages thus far:
JRUE HOLIDAY 18, 9 & 4, 2 Stl
Steph Curry 19, 6 & 4
Kyrie Irving 23, 5 & 3
Ty Lawson 14, 7 & 2
Mike Conley 14, 6 & 3
Tony Parker 18, 7 & 3
Chris Paul 16, 9 & 3, 2 Stl
Deron Williams 17, 8 & 3
Russell Westbrook 20, 9 & 5
Jrue's steady rise through the statistical categories proves that this is no fluke. Three years have now been put in and he is on a level most thought unreachable. He puts up a great stat line every single game this season. That consistency shows greatness. It shows the true evolution of a player. He started 51 of the 82 total games his Rookie season, averaging only 8 ppg, 3 apg, 2 rpg. His Sophomore season, he played and started all 82 games, averaging a very solid 13 ppg, 4 apg, 3 rpg. It showed serious promise, especially to Coach Doug Collins, who is known for cultivating and developing his young talent(Ex: MJ, Pippen). Last season, Jrue's third, he played and started only 65 games while averaging 14ppg, 6 apg, 4 rpg. The scoring consistency and the assist increase showed Collins exactly what he needed to see from the third year guard. Still though, it was nothing on the level of CP3 or D Willy. He looked to be on more on the Mike Conley level of starting PGs(maybe not even. Conley did extremely well last season/playoffs). No one could've predicted the type of jump he's had this season. Jrue, his family and close ones, the entire 76ers organization, and Doug Collins should all be praised for his dramatic transformation. No one thought he could be this good. Here's a few guys picked before him in the 2009 NBA Draft. James Harden, Ricky Rubio, Steph Curry, Blake Griffin(Acceptable) Hasheem Thabeet, Johnny Flynn, Jordan Hill, Demar Derozan, Brandon Jennings, Terrance Williams, James Johnson, Austin Daye, Earl Clark, Tyler Hansbrough, and even Gerald Henderson(Hell No, pretty much). It's safe to say NBA teams liked his upside, but no one truly believed in his abilities. The 2009 draft makes that completely transparent. For Jrue, he never focused on the negative or where he was at along the process. He always had the foresight to see the bigger picture of who he could become if he gave it his all everyday. The 76ers are happy they saw the promise and pulled the trigger. The viewing public is lucky to be able to watch Jrue grow as a player in front of our very own eyes.
-Jason T. Davis @WisdomOfSports
