New Orleans Pelicans: Jrue Holiday Should Move to the Bench

Keeping Jrue Holiday in the Starting Five

Though the stats strongly suggest that the New Orleans Pelicans would benefit from moving Holiday to the bench, there are some compelling reasons to keep him in the starting five.

If it ain’t broke…

As we recently reported, the New Orleans Pelicans have the best starting lineup in the NBA statistically, though the sample size is small.

Combining two playmaking guards (Lonzo Ball, Holiday) with an elite scoring wing (Brandon Ingram) a bruising, rim-running power forward (Zion) and a defensive-minded center (Derrick Favors) is a winning formula in today’s NBA.

New Orleans Pelicans’ fans can’t argue with the success of the starting five.

In fact, they are the most efficient startling lineup in the NBA according to a recent article by Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com.

According to Eichenhofer:

"“Of the league’s 34 lineups that have logged 200-plus minutes this season, New Orleans’ group had the No. 1 net rating, outscoring opponents by 26.3 points per 100 possessions.”"

This lineup is working and allowing the New Orleans Pelicans to build big leads early in the game. With their extreme pace, the Pelicans have the chance to bury teams before the first quarter is even over.

Holiday vs. Everybody

Holiday is the Pelicans’ best defender and starting him allows the New Orleans Pelicans to match him up against the other team’s best scorer.

We’ve seen Holiday guard everyone from LeBron James to Devin Booker on his way to an All-Defense selection last season. Here’s coach Gentry breaking down Holiday’s defense leading to a fast break:

https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA/status/1254567319159922688

Holiday is an elite defender so taking him out of the starting lineup would keep him off the other team’s best scorer, at least for part of the game.

The move would potentially weaken the perimeter defense and allow the other team to get into a rhythm early.

Surrounding Zion with Playmakers

Much has been made of the Zion/Lonzo alley-oop combination, but people tend to forget that Holiday is also a point guard who can make plays.

Having two playmakers around Zion opens the lane, makes teams worry about dribble penetration and increases the chances of this happening.

Fans often talk about the need to surround Zion with shooters, but it also helps to have playmakers who can get him the ball.

Holiday is the Alpha

Zion is the future of the NBA and Lonzo will eventually take the reins as team leader, but for now, this is Holiday’s squad.

When the New Orleans Pelicans need a bucket, they turn to Holiday. He is still the most clutch performer on the team, so keeping him in the starting lineup makes sense from a consistency standpoint.

The leader of the team should be starting, it’s that simple.

Unless it isn’t.