This season started so promising for Jrue Holiday. He was generating 16.7 points, 8.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. The two-time All-Star was also launching 7.1 threes per contest and knocking them down at a 36.5 percent clip.
It looked as though Holiday had found the fountain of youth. Perhaps it was the taxing nature of going from a championship run in his first year with the Boston Celtics right into the Summer Olympics that slowed him in his final season with the C's.
The organization didn't want to make such dramatic changes to its roster this summer. However, after consecutive campaigns over the second apron, Boston didn't have a choice. The NBA's punitive collective bargaining agreement forced their hand.
Even so, seeing Holiday, at 34, play with heavy legs and watching his production dip may have signaled to the Celtics that, as much as they love the person and the player, it was in their best interest to trade him.
What they found was a willing partner in the Portland Trail Blazers, who sent Anfernee Simons to Boston and absorbed Holiday's remaining three years and $104 million in salary. It was a chance for a franchise not known for landing top free agents to acquire a lockerroom leader two years removed from helping the Celtics lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Jrue Holiday's timeline to return remains unclear
After turning back the clock for 12 games, the injury bug bit the two-time NBA champion. A right calf strain forced him to the sideline. He has not played since mid-November. What's worse is that Holiday remains without a timeline to return.
To their credit, the Trail Blazers have remained competitive. They are tenth in the Western Conference standings. Still, it is becoming increasingly clear that they are feeling the effect of Holiday's extended absence. Portland has gone 4-6 in its last 10 tilts. The franchise that calls the Pacific Northwest home has a below .500 record, falling to 12-18 and trying to snap a two-game losing streak.
Surely, it's frustrating for Holiday that he can't be out there, playing at the level he was at the start of the current campaign, helping his team fight for a spot in the postseason. However, he and the Trail Blazers know they must remain patient with his recovery.
Naturally, the organization and Portland's fan base may worry about how the potential future Hall of Famer will age over the rest of his contract. He's on the books for $34.8 million for the 2026-27 season. Holiday has a player option worth $37.2 million for the following year.
The former star guard for the UCLA Bruins is an exemplary model for the Trail Blazers' young nucleus. He is a three-time Teammate of the Year recipient, a two-time Sportsmanship Award winner, and last season's Social Justice Champion.
Still, with 16 years of mileage on his tires, even while loving what he brings to the locker room, at 35, the concerns about what's to come for his playing career won't subside.