Feb 6, 2023; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) drives the lane against Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday (21) in the second half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

Blazers' $134.4 Million All-Star Receives Unfortunate Outlook for This Season

Originally posted on Portland Trail Blazers on SI
By Ryan Stano | Last updated Aug 22, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The Portland Trail Blazers are hoping that they can be a playoff team next season. They fell just short of that goal in 2024-25, barely missing the play-in.

The Blazers added a couple of players, but they didn't overhaul the roster by any means. They believe their young guys will be able to make a leap, and that will be enough for them.

One veteran they did bring in is Jrue Holiday. The veteran guard will now play for the Blazers after not playing for them a couple of years ago. One pundit believes he will have a bad year.

New Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday predicted to have a rough season

Newly acquired Holiday is expected to have a rough season according to Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report, citing his age and his previous mileage.

"That's natural for a player with Holiday's mileage. The question this season won't be about whether he continues to decline. It'll be about how fast his slide accelerates."

Holiday had the worst season of his career with the Celtics last year offensively. He wasn't the same threat he was during his first year in Boston, or how he was with Milwaukee.

The Trail Blazers aren't expecting much from Holiday after this season because they will have Damian Lillard fully ready to go. Holiday might be the starting point guard this year, though.

Holiday is still solid defensively, but even that took a bit of a dip last year. He was nicked up all last year, so the Blazers are hoping that a fully healthy year can bring more good things out of Holiday.

The Trail Blazers still believe in Holiday's ability to contribute

Despite Hughes' prediction, Portland believes in Holiday's ability to still contribute on the court, as well as his leadership in the locker room. They traded for him for a reason.

Holiday wants to show everyone that last year was just a fluke. He won't have as many good players around him, so it will be tough for him to hide from criticism this year.

Last year with the Celtics, he averaged 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game.