Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday. David Butler II-Imagn Images

Bucks lost 'a piece' of themselves when they traded Jrue Holiday

By Adam Taylor | Last updated Oct 30, 2024 6:46 AM ET

Since acquiring Damian Lillard ahead of the 2023-24 season, the Milwaukee Bucks have looked a shadow of the team that secured the 2021 NBA championship. The two-man game between Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo has yet to flourish in the way many expected.

The biggest issue with the Bucks' current roster is the lack of a defensive identity. Losing Jrue Holiday, who was sent to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of the Lillard trade before being redirected to the Boston Celtics, has been a significant blow to Milwaukee.

Holiday was the glue that tied everything together. He was the team's best defender and most versatile offensive player. Holiday could slide in as a tertiary scorer or operate as Giannis' No. 2, all while being a Defensive Player of the Year candidate and high-level playmaker.

According to former NBA champion Shawn Marion, who spoke with Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson for an exclusive interview, trading Holiday "took a piece" of the Bucks' identity.

"Milwaukee? I don’t know," Marion said. "It’s a different dynamic and a different situation up there. They got Damian [Lillard] and Giannis [Antetokounmpo] but I feel that they’re still missing something. When they traded Jrue [Holiday] it took a piece of them. It took something that they really needed. Damian’s a different type of player. He’s a killer scorer but they lost so much on the opposite end of the floor."

Holiday's value has been evident since he joined the Celtics. Joe Mazzulla has the best two-way backcourt in the NBA between him and Derrick White. Holiday helped the franchise secure its first championship in 16 years. In contrast, the Bucks were eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs and went through two different head coaches.

There's no doubt that Lillard and Giannis are talented enough to lead Milwaukee to a championship. However, without Holiday's defensive upside, their task is significantly harder. Holiday was the player who unlocked the team's championship potential when he joined it from the New Orleans Pelicans, and his departure likely closed its window.

If the Bucks fail to produce a deep playoff run this season, the front office will need to accept it made a mistake in letting Holiday go as part of the Lillard trade. And that mistake could lead to a roster rebuild, which in turn could cost them Giannis.

It didn't seem like it at the time, but Holiday may have been the most important domino on the roster. Now that he's fallen, everything else is crumbling within the Bucks locker room.

Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor is a sports journalist based out of the UK. Adam has been covering the NBA for nearly a decade with a core focus on the Boston Celtics. He currently holds bylines with Yardbarker, SB Nation and USA Today

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