Jrue Holiday is tearing through the playoffs, and every basket he scores is another reminder of how badly Milwaukee might have messed up by trading him for Damian Lillard.
Through four playoff games, Holiday is averaging 18.5 points, 7.3 assists, and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 44 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from three. He looks nothing like the washed veteran most made him out to be.
For a player Milwaukee convinced itself was expendable, he's playing some legitimately elite two-way basketball.
Jrue Holiday has finally exorcised his playoff demons at age 35
Holiday's playoff run started the way Bucks fans would have expected: with a rough shooting night in Game 1 against the Spurs, going 4-for-15 from the field. But somehow, this time around, Holiday managed to dish out 11 assists, showing exactly the kind of floor general ability that Milwaukee's been missing all season.
Since then, he's been absolutely money. Holiday still had a lot left in the tank after all, and the Bucks probably should have kept him instead of chasing the Damian Lillard experiment that blew up in their faces. Perhaps the obvious reality is that trading a proven championship guard for a ball-dominant scorer who didn't fit was not the right move.
According to a recent scoop by ESPN's Ramona Shelbourne, Giannis reportedly reached out to Holiday to let him know he misses having him as a teammate, and it's clear he did so for a reason. Holiday's playoff performance is exactly what Milwaukee needed: elite defense and leadership that makes everyone better.
The question on this writer's mind as Holiday thrives is this: Would the Bucks have been better off keeping Holiday instead of making the trade? At this point, with Lillard still sidelined with injury and the Myles Turner acquisition likely nearing its end, a strong argument could be made.
Hindsight is obviously 20-20, but with Holiday on the roster today, Milwaukee would still have its defensive identity, Giannis would have a backcourt partner he trusts, and they'd have the kind of two-way guard who actually translates to playoff success.
Instead, they're at home watching Holiday dominate in the postseason while they plan their rebuild around whatever assets they can get back for Giannis. That's the price of chasing big names over proven fits.
Holiday proving he still has plenty left destroys the idea that his age and declining athleticism meant his best days were behind him, which was essentially the main basis of trading him to begin with.
Jrue Holiday is making the Milwaukee Bucks regret they ever traded him
Jon Horst and company are watching this and realizing they traded away exactly what they needed, got nothing useful in return, and are now facing years of rebuilding because they couldn't just appreciate what they had. That's heartbreaking in a way that goes beyond basketball.
Jrue Holiday's playoff performance is proof that the Bucks made one of the worst trades in recent franchise history. And they're going to be reminded of that mistake every time he steps on a playoff court for the next few years.