Pelica Debrief
Fansided

New Orleans Pelicans: 15 greatest scorers of all-time

By Daniel Lubofsky

NEW ORLEANS - DECEMBER 16: Chris Paul #3 and David West #30 of the New Orleans Hornets celebrate during the game against the Detroit Pistons at New Orleans Arena on December 16, 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Hornets defeated the Pistons 95-87. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS - DECEMBER 16: Chris Paul #3 and David West #30 of the New Orleans Hornets celebrate during the game against the Detroit Pistons at New Orleans Arena on December 16, 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Hornets defeated the Pistons 95-87. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

69. . Point Guard. 2013-Current. Jrue Holiday. 5. player

Since coming into the league as a late first-round pick of the 2009 Draft, Jrue Holiday has slowly developed into one of the best underrated players in the game today in large part due to his ability to put the ball in the basket.

Unlike a good amount of those manning the point guard position, he was what you would consider a big guard, standing 6-4 at roughly 205 pounds. This gave him an advantage right off the bat as a guy who could simply overpower those who tried to stop him from getting all the way to the rim, unphased by the contact he may be forced to absorb at any given moment from those in front of him.

Despite his at times his overwhelming size, Holiday also possessed great quickness with the ball in his hands, shifting directions and pulling defenders every which way. This, combined with his ability to break down a defense with a number of dribble moves, and you have a guy that posed as a matchup nightmare on a nightly basis.

Holiday was a near 40 percent shooter from 3-point land earlier in his career, only adding to his offensive arsenal, but he’s tailed off just a bit in recent seasons towards the mid-30s. However, there are still stretches where he’s able to find a rhythm from beyond the arc, furthering his success at that end of the court by forcing more attention by defenders and then using that to blow past them.

He’s averaged 17.4 points per game in nearly six seasons with the Pelicans, including a career-best mark in 2018-19 of over 20 a night. If that’s any indication, he’s still got plenty left to climb in what has already been a remarkable ascension.