When Jrue Holiday was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for a sizable amount of assets last off-season, fans understood that they were becoming arguably the most underrated gamer in the game.
The Guardian had had individual successes over a number of stellar seasons, but it was never enough to get his team up for discussion with the best contenders, which often resulted in the outside world glossing over him when it came to the game’s best Guardians went. It’s all about winning the NBA, and that’s why Holiday welcomed the Milwaukee swap and understood the pressure that would follow as it was viewed as the piece to finally help them overcome their post-season problems.
Ultimately, he proved just that when the Bucks ended their season by hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time in five decades after a postseason run that kept Holiday shining after upgrading the team in the backcourt. that they had been looking for so long desperately.
After shining on the biggest stage and adding a championship to his résumé, it initially seemed like Holidays days as the NBA’s most underrated player, but that’s still not the case.
In anticipation of the release of NBA 2K22, the team behind the best-selling video game has been posting reviews for specific players. Among those featured were the members of Milwaukee’s leading trio, and the reveal sparked some very controversial thoughts. The Guardian stays with Holiday and starts the game with a rating of 85, proving that he is still criminally underestimated.
Despite winning a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks, Jrue Holiday received a controversial rating in NBA 2K22
While an 85 rating is certainly not the end of the world, Holiday will actually have lost a point from its previous rating of 86 in NBA 2K21. How can a player have the title run the guard just made and lose a point? It’s just crazy.
Sure, there were certainly several games in the playoffs in which Holiday had no real pulse on the offensive. He’s had his share of busy shooting nights, but he performed when the team needed him the most, hitting clutch shots in Game 7 against the Brooklyn Nets, and advancing in Games 5 and 6 against the Atlanta Hawks after Giannis Antetokounmpo left was down with a hyperextended knee.
Of course, fans won’t forget that in Game 5 against the Phoenix Suns, Holiday had one of the most iconic games in NBA final history. With the Bucks needing a stop in the last few moments, Holiday tore the ball off Phoenix’s Devin Booker and threw the praise pass to Antetokounmpo to help them seal the road win and take a 3-2 lead. This game alone would have given Holiday an 87 or 88 rating.
The game certainly does not value defense in the same way as offense. Many of Holiday’s colleagues consider him the best defender in the association and that thought deserves some thought from the rating team. The Guardian doesn’t lift 3 points from 9 yards or have the most noticeable grip in basketball, but what he brings to the table is worth more than an 85 rating and anyone who has watched him during the 2021 NBA playoffs will agree.
With multiple highlight reel games and eventually winning a championship last season, there’s no reason Holiday should have lost a point. Despite what he’s accomplished over the last year, it seems like he’s going to remain underrated and while Holiday certainly doesn’t bother with that feeling too much, it could give him extra motivation for the next season.
While he may start the game at 85, Holiday will no doubt increase that rating over the course of the 2021-22 season.
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