For the Milwaukee Bucks to be successful this season, they need Jrue Holiday to find the right balance of offensive aggression and court generalship. So far, the 13-year veteran has been able to do just that as the Bucks have gotten off to a hot 6-0 start heading to their away game against the Detroit Pistons.
The right balance
Being an NBA point guard is a demanding job. With so many mouths to feed, you have to ensure that everyone is getting their fair share of touches while also looking for your opportunities to score. It's a delicate balance that often requires split-second decision-making and court vision.
For Holiday, who is averaging 18.0 points, 8.0 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game this season, it's all about finding the right mix of being unselfish and aggressive. He put all of that on full display in their 123-115 win over the Hawks on Saturday. He began the game by getting sweet-shooting big man Brook Lopez going, assisting on four of the latter's baskets. In crunchtime, he connected on a high-looping floater that gave the Bucks a 118-115 lead with 23.2 seconds to go in the game.
Afterward, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer sang Holiday's praises, saying his point guard can be, at times, too unselfish.
"That's just part of the beauty of Jrue – he's so unselfish, he's always thinking of others, and we have to sometimes encourage him to be aggressive," said Budenholzer
"Tonight, he found that honey spot. I mean, he's got 12 assists, too. It's not just 34, but he's got 12 assists, and defensively I thought he was really good. This was a very, very kind of one of his special nights."
Holding the fort until reinforcements arrive
This kind of aggression is needed from Holiday, especially with star wingman and fellow playmaker Khris Middleton still recovering from a wrist injury. The Bucks will lean heavily on Holiday to provide playmaking and scoring while the All-Star is out.
The Bucks are also awaiting the return of wingmen Pat Connaughton and Joe Ingles, who are both nursing injuries. Connaughton is dealing with a right calf strain, while Ingles has yet to return from the knee injury that caused him to miss the second half of last season.
With so many vital pieces still out, Holiday must strike that balance of being unselfish and aggressive if the Bucks want to keep their win streak alive. So far, he's been up to the challenge.
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