Jrue Holiday didn’t have to become a centerpiece in Portland to matter. In fact, the Blazers are showing that keeping him after the Ja Morant trade might have been one of the smartest decisions they made this offseason.
Holiday was widely seen as a possible trade candidate once Trail Blazers GM Joe Cronin swung big for Morant. Instead, Portland kept him, trusted the fit, and early returns suggest that patience is paying off. The Blazers are 3-0, and the backcourt mix has been a major reason why.
What stands out most is how willingly Holiday has slid into a sixth man role. That kind of buy-in changes everything. Rather than forcing touches or demanding a bigger slice of the offense, he’s giving Portland exactly what it needs: steadiness, flexibility, and another veteran who can make the whole machine hum.
So far, Holiday is averaging 14.0 points, 4.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. That’s a noticeable drop from last season, when he was the key secondary playmaker alongside Deni Avdija.
But with Morant and Lillard now in the mix, Portland doesn’t need Holiday in quite the same way offensively. And that’s exactly why his value has held up.
The Blazers’ guard-heavy approach is working because their stars aren’t worried about fitting into fixed labels. Everyone can handle the ball, shoot, and create.
The ball keeps moving, and the offense has a multi-layered feel to it. Defensively, the added depth gives Micah Nori more fresh bodies to deploy, which means pressure on the perimeter can stay high for all 48 minutes.
Holiday’s role has also helped cover another problem area: wing depth. Portland is missing Jerami Grant, Kris Murray, and Matisse Thybulle, but Holiday has helped patch over those gaps with his ability to slide around the lineup. That matters even more for a first-year head coach still sorting through a roster loaded with point guards and centers, and short on wings.
The numbers show just how much his usage has shifted. Last season, Holiday spent 75 percent of his minutes at point guard and the other 25 percent at shooting guard. Through three games this season, that distribution has changed dramatically: 1 percent point guard, 56 percent shooting guard, and 43 percent small forward.
That small forward workload is especially notable because Holiday hasn’t technically played that position since 2020 with the New Orleans Pelicans. But he’s long since shown he can move up a spot or two and handle the job.
It’s no accident that Holiday keeps ending up in winning situations. His unselfishness, versatility, and leadership travel well, and Portland is benefiting from that right now. He helped get the Blazers to the playoffs last season, and his fit alongside the team’s other stars gives them a real chance to push deeper this year.
In Other News...
Blazers Sent A Message By Outmuscling Luka And The Lakers
Portland did not just outscore the Lakers on Monday night, it outworked them in ways that tend to show up when games get tight and physical. Even with Luka Doncic pouring in 41 points and Austin Reaves adding 26, the Trail Blazers found an edge in efficiency, free throws and on the glass, turning a high-scoring contest into a win that said plenty about their willingness to match a star-driven opponent possession for possession.
The Lakers had enough offense to stay in striking distance, with bench contributions from Sandro Mamukelashvili and Ziaire Williams helping keep the pressure on, but Portland kept answering. In a game that swung on more than shotmaking, the Blazers' balance and physicality became the difference, a useful reminder that even against elite shot creation, the margins often come down to who controls the harder parts of the night. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Exposed A Big Lakers Problem Even On Lukas Night
Luka Doncic delivered the sort of scoring night that usually papers over a lot of issues, piling up 40 points against the Trail Blazers and reaching his 20th career 40-point game with the Lakers. That moved him into sixth place on the franchises all-time list in that category, ahead of LeBron James, who has 18, but it still wasnt enough to keep Los Angeles from leaving with a loss in Portland.
For the Blazers, the more interesting part was what the box score could not hide. Even with Doncic carrying the offense, the Lakers still allowed 136 points in a game that exposed how much pressure Portlands pace and shot-making can put on an opponent. It was the kind of result that adds a little extra sting to a milestone night, because the headline belonged to Doncic but the outcome belonged to the Trail Blazers. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Closed Out A Marquee Win But One Late Issue Took Over
The Blazers got the kind of marquee win that can set a tone, leaning on a balanced scoring night and production from six players in double figures to get past the Lakers in a tight game. Ja Morant and Damian Lillard were part of the mix as Portland held up in a contest that stayed physical throughout, with both teams trading blows deep into the fourth quarter.
What ended up taking center stage, though, was the whistle. The game featured multiple technical fouls for flopping in the closing period, and the officiating crew spent the night trying to enforce the NBAs latest point of emphasis. With 52 fouls and 71 free throw attempts between the teams, the basketball never lost its edge, but the late-game attention shifted from the score to the way it was being played. [Read more 🡒]