Sixers select Jrue Holiday at #17

[DuckyNinja]

Figured I'd separate this from the general draft thread.  Post thoughts, opinions, scouting reports, front office comments, etc. in here.

[tk76-]

http://draftday.nbadraft.net/players/jrue-holiday

NBA Comparison: Flip Murray/Delonte West

Strengths: Long and wiry combo guard ? A crafty ballhandler that knows how to get defenders off balance with the dribble ? Has a good repertoire of moves and mixes them up well to keep the defense guessing ? He has a deceptive 1st step and shifty quickness making him difficult to contain on the perimeter ? Is adept using both hands, either when attacking or finishing ... Uses his body as well as his length to finish around the basket ? Utilizes a variety of floaters and runners in the lane ? Likes to pull up from the midrange where he shoots with balance and good rhythm ? Shows good speed in the open court and the ability to manoeuvre through traffic with the dribble while going full speed ? Puts in a good effort defensively, where he enjoys being aggressive and pressuring ballhandlers ? Has good hands, anticipates well and uses his wingspan to get many deflections ? He is unselfish and possesses good court vision and has shown glimpses of being able to run a team full time ?

Weaknesses: Had a very disappointing season in terms of the hype he had coming in from highschool ... Played out of position for the majority of the season, and struggled finding his comfort zone ? Battled inconsistency with his shot all year and it threw the rest of his offensive game off balance ? Defenses showed very little respect for his outside shot, daring him to shoot and taking away his driving lanes ? His form is a big issue as it throws his stroke off and makes his release inconsistent ? He shoots off the side of his head with the shooting elbow way out, as a result his shot is all over the place ?He does not have the superb athleticism or strength like many other combo guards ? Tends to waste dribbles on the perimeter, killing the flow of the offense because he can be a ball stopper at times ? Gets into trouble by over penetrating and then trying to make the spectacular play while in traffic and under pressure ? Settles for contested jumpshots from outside and takes a lot of fading and offbalance attempts inside ? Leaves his feet to make passes and gets caught with no options ? Is stuck between positions because he has not proven that he can be a consistent scorer or that his decision making will translate to the next level ?
Borko Popic - 6/2/2009

Strengths: Talented combo guard with a very smooth all around game ... Makes the game look easy, very focused, steps up his level of play in big situations ... Very determined, competitive player who takes over when it counts ... A scoring point, but has enough pg skills to play the position on the NBA level ... Very quick, athletic and explosive, gets by his man and to the rim with ease ... Shoots the ball well out to college three ... Very good in the full court game, able to find teammates on the break with great vision ... Great competitor, very composed, intelligent decision maker ... Gives good effort on the defensive end of the floor ... Quality kid with a strong work ethic ... Advanced offensively with the ability to pull up off the dribble and he also attacks the rim aggressively ... Plays very mature, under control, doesn't make unnecessary risks to dazzle ...

Weaknesses: Not a true point, more of a combo ... Must continue to develop his point guard skills ... Can learn to become a better floor general, distributing the ball, setting everyone up ... Needs to gain experience ... Must get stronger physically, to be able to finish off drives as well as shoot with more consistency ... His ball handling ability is solid, but can improve ...
Aran Smith - 7/24/2007

Hope the NBA comparisons are wrong 

[tk76-]

Experts' Take: Holiday came into the season as one of the highest ranked players in the country. His versatility along with his ability to create his own shots and change gears could make him an elite offensive player. Toward the end of the season, Holiday struggled and his stock started to dip. Many NBA executives think he could be great, but his inconsistent play raised some question marks. He could go anywhere from the late lottery to toward the end of the first round.

Player Information: As a senior in high school he was named the 2008 Gatorade Player of the Year... During that year he averaged 25.9 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 6.9 apg and 4.8 spg and lead Campbell Hall to a 31-5 record and the California Division IV state title? Holiday was as a 2008 McDonald's All-American where he scored 14 points and had five rebounds, five steals and three assists for the West Team? In his freshman year at UCLA he averaged 8.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, and 3.7 apg and was named to the PAC 10 All-Freshman team

http://www.nba.com/nets/Player_Profile_Jrue_Holiday.html

[tk76-]

As the 2009 NBA Draft draws closer and closer, perhaps no one's stock has skyrocketed as high as fast as UCLA's Jrue Holliday.

Measuring in at 6-foot-4, 200-pounds with a 6-foot-7 wingspan, he has the ideal vital statistics you look for in a point guard. Matched with his tremendous athleticism, high basketball IQ, execution at both ends of the court and an unrivaled passion for the game, some are beginning to view him as the top floor general in the draft.

And it?s easy to see why.

With his height, Holiday overpowers defenders by backing them down and can easily go up to shoot or pass over them. He is also an excellent rebounding guard that isn?t afraid to mix it up, leaving his heart out on the court. Defensively, he can shut down either backcourt position, has quick hands and is a true ball hawk.

As a young 18-year old, Holiday was forced to play out of position his entire freshman year when Darren Collison unexpectedly returned for another season with the Bruins. Forced to make a decision, Head Coach Ben Howland moved Holiday to shooting guard, convinced his versatility, athleticism and shooting ability made him the more attractive option to play the two.

As a result, Holiday?s numbers weren?t as impressive as they could have been considering potential. He finished his lone collegiate season averaging 8.5 rebounds, 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

Obviously, Holiday?s talent is undeniable, which is why many are comparing him to Russell Westbrook, last year?s immensely talented young point guard out of UCLA who didn?t produce up to expectations based on the Bruins system. First expected to be a mid-first round pick, once Westbrook performed for NBA executives at the combine and in workouts, he vaulted himself to the top of the draft to be selected fourth overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Don?t be shocked to see history repeat itself come June 25 as another young, talented point guard from UCLA is amongst the top picks taken off the board.

http://www.nba.com/knicks/news/09prospectprofileholiday.html?rss=true

[tk76-]

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2911170/draft_preview_jrue_holiday/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fMf_FcU9eY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qeoic5fPvz8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSKfT5sN_FQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXVuaMLcaTA&feature=related

[tk76-]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2009/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=PreDraftTour-090518

Jrue Holiday, PG, Fr., UCLA (ranked No. 8 on our Big Board)

Holiday joined UCLA with a terrific high school reputation. He wasn't the flashiest or most dominant player, but he was widely regarded as the most complete player in the incoming freshman Class of 2008. His ability to score, pass and defend, coupled with a terrific basketball IQ, had many NBA scouts pegging him as a lottery pick in 2009.

Holiday was expected to inherit the starting point guard position once Darren Collison declared for the 2008 NBA draft. But when Collison decided to return for his senior year, Holiday's freshman run started to derail. Howland moved Holiday to the 2 and asked him to play off the ball on offense, something Holiday had never done. Although at times, Holiday looked the part of a lottery pick, as the season went on it became harder and harder to see. He lacked confidence on the offensive end and in some games hardly showed anything.

Holiday's frustration extended beyond playing out of position. Howland's half-court, grind-it-out approach on offense also was a thorn in Holiday's side. By the end of a disappointing season, a flustered Holiday surprised a lot of NBA people by declaring for the draft.

He has spent the past month traveling back and forth between Florida and L.A. trying to juggle prepping for the draft with school at UCLA. Holiday maintains that he is still trying to figure out whether he'll stay in the draft or return to school, but the word is he's strongly leaning toward the NBA.

After spending the day watching him work out, it's not hard to see why. In a workout setting, Holiday looks much more like the player NBA scouts fell in love with when he was in high school.

The first thing you notice about Holiday is his size. He was measured at 6-foot-4 in shoes and 205 pounds. That's terrific for a point guard. He also has a nice frame and should get stronger as his body matures. Still just 18 years old, he's the youngest player in my top 20.

One of the early problems in scouting Holiday during the season was the unfair comparison to Russell Westbrook, another UCLA guard who went from being an unknown to the No. 4 pick in the 2008 draft. Westbrook was a freakish athlete with great speed and explosive leaping ability. When Holiday didn't show that uber-athleticism at UCLA, everyone was disappointed.

The truth is that Holiday isn't an elite athlete in the ways that Westbrook is. He's not as explosive a leaper, nor is he lightning-fast streaking down the court. But he is a very good athlete. He's quick with the ball, knows how to use his big body to hurt smaller defenders and showed good leaping ability in the gym.

Holiday struggled as a shooter at UCLA, but watching him in the gym this past week, I don't have any real concerns there. He has great form on his jump shot and was hitting virtually every midrange jump shot and college 3-pointer he took. Holiday is still finding his range from the NBA 3-point line. He can make the shot but is much more inconsistent stepping out the extra few feet. But the truth is, almost all prospects have the same issue when transitioning from college to the pros.

Holiday also showed off his terrific defensive abilities. He's strong, long, quick and active. He has the potential to be a lockdown defender at either backcourt position in the pros. Given the rise of elite, virtually unstoppable guards in the league, that alone could get him drafted high.

Holiday's biggest challenge will be his confidence. In a workout setting, where he's getting a lot of positive reinforcement and is allowed to be himself, he's really thriving again and looks like a lottery pick all the way.

But there's no guarantee that the team that picks him will have a head coach who will allow him to play to his strengths. Holiday wilted a bit under a difficult coach in college. Will he be able to handle similar adversity in the NBA?

Given his background, intelligence and work ethic, my guess is that most NBA teams will be willing to take the risk. In a draft without many players with big upside, Holiday has the chance to be a special player someday. I think he'll fall somewhere in the 8-14 range on draft night. The Knicks, Raptors, Bucks, Pacers and Suns are all possibilities for him. However, some interest exists even higher than that range because Oklahoma City, Minnesota and Golden State all need point guards and have interest in Holiday. Remember that last year, most teams had Westbrook ranked in a similar spot, and he ended up going No. 4 in the draft. That's not out of the question for Holiday.

[tk76-]

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jrue-Holiday-1108/

[Skates]

Love the pick, hate not being able to swing a deal for a SG in the second round.  That is two years in a row where that has happened, last year missing out on Maro Chalmers and Deandre Jordan, this year missing out on a plethora of good shooters.  There is no excsuse for that, but a damn solid pick in the first.  Now get us a vet like Blake to start and provide some shooting while the kid develops.

[Skates]

Chad Ford rates the Sixers draft an A.  I would say A- to B+.  What is the injury concern with Holiday?

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS                                                                                                                                   GRADE: A
 Round 1: Jrue Holiday (17)

Round 2: None

Analysis: I really like what the 76ers did, taking an opportunity to nab a lottery talent who was falling because of injury concerns. Holiday is in a long line of players who slipped when team doctors got nervous, with Danny Granger as a prime example. The Sixers could've gone with a more proven guard like Ty Lawson or Eric Maynor, but Holiday has more upside and could turn into a terrific pick for them.

[Skates]

FoxSports take on the Sixers and Holiday:

With Andre Miller's status up in the air for the 76ers, Holiday was a no-brainer at 17. Holiday is a bit of a tweener, not exactly a point guard or a shooting guard, but he is young enough (just turned 19) to learn the position and become their future point guard. How quickly he will help the 76ers is something that will be figured out, but Philly will still most likely try to re-sign the veteran Miller because it would be asking too much to hand the reigns over the Holiday so early in his career. He had inconsistencies at UCLA as a freshman, but showed enough talent to be drafted in the first round. After a season of grooming or two, Holiday could be one of the best players to come out of this draft when all said and done.

[Derek Bodner]

Holiday's not a tweenter.  he's a true point.  I'm thinking these people calling him a "tweener" are going entirely off of his year at UCLA (when he was asked to play the 2), and haven't seen any of his high school tape.

The fact that he can defend the 2 (which will help him get playing time early on) doesn't mean he's not a true point.  I think people often times confuse that.  The fact that someone CAN play another position doesn't mean they're a tweener.  They can play another position and still be a "true" something.

Holiday's defense and open court game will get him time (10-15 minutes) early on, but he's not ready to be counted on to be the starter (or even "split" minutes with Lou).  Either Lou, a re-signed Miller, or an FA will be opening day starter, not Jrue.

but it's also not completely impossible that Jrue doesn't "pull a thaddeus" and win the starting job by the end of the year.

[carolina blue]

I really like the Holiday pick. 

In addition to his pedigree, I like that his skill set/size seem to compliment Lou Williams fairly well.  As a Sixers fan that still has high hopes for LW, getting a pg with enough size to guard 2's fits my agenda.

[Skates]

A point guard with size and lock down defensive skills, plus a lot of potential in other areas, at 17 we could not possibly have done better.  I think D-Bods hit his likely development timeline right on the head.  I stil hope they do not try running Lou at PG as a starter this year, he is what he is and that is not a PG, not even in the PO.

[tk76-]

Derek is spot on.  Think of him much like we think of Thad.

1.  He has a natural position (PG) and can give you minutes at SG (next to Lou.)  That is being versatile, not being a tweener.  Like Duncan is versatile at PF/C and not a tweener.  Its a good thing.

2.  He will be just scraping the surface on his potential this year.  But like Thad, his length, smarts, character and willingness to play within himself will earn him minutes early.  He will have some value in his 1st 2 years, but his true worth hopefully shows in 2+ years (by age 21.)

3.  These same traits could allow him to develop faster than people think.  Since he is somewhat of a natural with the ball in his hands and will not be asked to "run an offense" he could surprise us and pay instant dividends.  Sort of like how Thad's touch and instincts around the hoop made him a nearly immediate impact player, even playing out of position.

[Derek Bodner]

btw, I haven't gotten an ounce of sleep since tuesday night, so if i say something that makes absolutely no sense, I apologize.