New Orleans Pelicans: 30 greatest players in franchise history
69. . PG. (2013-Present). Jrue Holiday. 4. player
Jrue Holiday is a young emerging star in the backcourt for the Pelicans. He began his career with the Philadelphia 76ers after being taken No. 19 overall in the 2009 NBA Draft. He spent four seasons with the 76ers before being traded to the Pelicans during the 2013 NBA offseason.
Holiday fought the injury bug during his first two years in New Orleans, appearing in just 74 games from 2013 to 2015, but he’s found his stride since recovering from his myriad of injuries
During the 2015-16 NBA season, he appeared in 65 contests, producing 16.8 points, 6.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, mostly as a reserve.
Since then, Holiday has emerged as a notable starter in the rotation for the Pelicans. He put up 15.4 points, 7.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game through 67 appearances (61 starts) during the 2016-17 NBA season.
He really upped his game in 2017-18, producing 19.0 points, 6.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game through 81 appearances, all starts.
This past season, he put up a career-high 21.2 points per game to go along with 7.7 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per contest. Holiday has made the All-Defensive team in the past two seasons with the Pelicans. In 2017-18, he was a First-Team selection and in 2018-19, he was a Second-Team selection.
Holiday has built quite the legacy for himself with the Pelicans. With changes on the horizon, he’s one constant that should remain with the franchise in the future.