Fanatics Pre-Draft Scouting Report: Jrue Holiday

6’4″, 207lbs

8.5 ppg, 3.7 apg, 3.8 rpg, 1.6 spg 45% (FG%), 52.8% (2pt%), 30% (3Pt%)

IGM ANALYSIS

Jru Holiday did not withdraw from the draft, so he may be the reason Rubio drops to the 8th spot. He will be picking an agent soon since his stock rose considerably during workouts in Sacramento, New York, Milwaukee, Golden State and Phoenix.

If he was without a promise of a top five position, his advisers (he has no agent but IMG and Don Fegan popped up in rumors) would probably advise him to go back to UCLA and re-enter the draft next year. UCLA Coach Ben Howland promised Holiday that he would have the ball in his hands next season if he decided to return to school. Another year would have allowed him to erase the bad freshman year from recent memory and to strengthen his reputation for a higher slot and more money next year.  However, his workouts, during which he played his natural position (point guard), seems to have impressed the Kings who have the 4th spot and had him in workouts twice.  According to one reporter, Holiday’s defensive skills did not match Jennings’ speed but Jennings did not prove he could run a team in the part of the workout open to reporters.   He is also being considered to run alongside Stephen Jackson and Monte Ellis in Golden State which has the 7th pick.

Holiday has the physical tools. He  seems to have a nice emotional and intellectual demeanor. Holiday says that he tries to model his game after Chauncey Billups and Deron Williams. His major problem is those weak freshman year stats he’s carrying around with him.  8.5 points per game .  Everyone understands, however, that his freshman year was not optimal for showcasing his true skills because he played the 2 spot, instead of his natural position, next to senior point guard Nick Collison.  The positive from the experience was that Jrue learned to deal with adversity and spent a lot of time playing off the ball which is not a bad skill to develop.

The videotape is not spectacular, but his skills are very solid.  He clearly needs to learn to shoot better, but he can hit from anywhere on the floor.  He has a nice pull-up jumper.  He can drive to the hoop with strength and absorb the contact.   He certainly needs to improve on his woeful shooting (he knows that) from the arc and 72.6% from the free throw line for someone who can create a shot on the drive does not get one excited.  He also admits a need to work on  his ballhandling.  I did not see a problem there and he only averaged 2.0 TOs in 27 minutes per game, so I think he should be fine there.What gets you excited though is his defensive ability and overall tenacity.  This guy plays both sides of the ball with intensity.  I love it.

Draft Depot Profile

Player Biography: A highly rated point guard (#2 Rivals.com; #4 Scout.com) from North Hollywood, California, Holiday averaged 25.9 points, 11.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 4.8 steals as a senior for Campbell Hall. Holiday, the 2008 Gatorade National Player of the Year and a McDonald’s All-American, led Campbell Hall to three championships in four years before committing to UCLA. Playing alongside senior Darren Collison, Holiday made an immediate impact for the Bruins, excelling defensively and solidifying himself as a top point guard prospect for the NBA Draft.

Strengths: • Decision making • Basketball IQ • On-ball defense • Off-ball defense • Versatility • Pick and roll skills • Work ethic • Finishing ability • Strength/size • Court vision

Weaknesses: • Perimeter shooting • Combo guard? • Lacks scorer’s mentality • Limited collegiate production • Upside

NBA DRAFT.NET

Strengths: Long and wiry combo guard … A crafty ballhandler that knows how to get defenders off balance with the dribble … Has a good repertoire of moves and mixes them up well to keep the defense guessing … He has a deceptive 1st step and shifty quickness making him difficult to contain on the perimeter … Is adept using both hands, either when attacking or finishing … Uses his body as well as his length to finish around the basket … Utilizes a variety of floaters and runners in the lane … Likes to pull up from the midrange where he shoots with balance and good rhythm … Shows good speed in the open court and the ability to manoeuvre through traffic with the dribble while going full speed … Puts in a good effort defensively, where he enjoys being aggressive and pressuring ballhandlers … Has good hands, anticipates well and uses his wingspan to get many deflections … He is unselfish and possesses good court vision and has shown glimpses of being able to run a team full time …

Weaknesses: Had a very disappointing season in terms of the hype he had coming in from highschool … Played out of position for the majority of the season, and struggled finding his comfort zone … Battled inconsistency with his shot all year and it threw the rest of his offensive game off balance … Defenses showed very little respect for his outside shot, daring him to shoot and taking away his driving lanes … His form is a big issue as it throws his stroke off and makes his release inconsistent … He shoots off the side of his head with the shooting elbow way out, as a result his shot is all over the place …He does not have the superb athleticism or strength like many other combo guards … Tends to waste dribbles on the perimeter, killing the flow of the offense because he can be a ball stopper at times … Gets into trouble by over penetrating and then trying to make the spectacular play while in traffic and under pressure … Settles for contested jumpshots from outside and takes a lot of fading and offbalance attempts inside … Leaves his feet to make passes and gets caught with no options … Is stuck between positions because he has not proven that he can be a consistent scorer or that his decision making will translate to the next level …

Borko Popic – 6/2/2009

Strengths: Talented combo guard with a very smooth all around game … Makes the game look easy, very focused, steps up his level of play in big situations … Very determined, competitive player who takes over when it counts … A scoring point, but has enough pg skills to play the position on the NBA level … Very quick, athletic and explosive, gets by his man and to the rim with ease … Shoots the ball well out to college three … Very good in the full court game, able to find teammates on the break with great vision … Great competitor, very composed, intelligent decision maker … Gives good effort on the defensive end of the floor … Quality kid with a strong work ethic … Advanced offensively with the ability to pull up off the dribble and he also attacks the rim aggressively … Plays very mature, under control, doesn’t make unnecessary risks to dazzle …Weaknesses: Not a true point, more of a combo … Must continue to develop his point guard skills … Can learn to become a better floor general, distributing the ball, setting everyone up … Needs to gain experience … Must get stronger physically, to be able to finish off drives as well as shoot with more consistency … His ball handling ability is solid, but can improve …

Aran Smith – 7/24/2007

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JRUE’S VIDEO LIBRARY

Jrue Holiday Mixes

Jrue Holiday UCLA Highlights

Draft Preview: Jrue Holiday

NBA draft prospect Jrue Holiday’s college highlights – Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

Jrue Holiday v. DeMar Derozan

Jrue Holiday Plays Defense

Jrue Holiday Workout With Sacramento Kings

Jrue Holiday Interviews

Ben Howland on Jrue Holiday

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