Jrue Holiday might be the greatest role player ever

Let's be real.

Calling Jrue Holiday a role player almost feels disrespectful.

This is a dude who made an All-Star team at 22, can give you 20+ a night, can run an offense, can drop 8 assists, and was one of the best perimeter defenders of his generation.

And somehow, his biggest strength has always been knowing when not to do too much.

It started in Philly

Jrue came into the league in 2009 at just 19.

He wasn't some random late pick either. He was already a crazy good prospect coming out of high school, then went to UCLA for one year before entering the NBA.

In Philly he developed pretty fast.

By 22, he was putting up 17.7 points and 8 assists and made his first All-Star team.

And then...

The Process happened.

Philadelphia decided to go in a completely different direction and traded him to New Orleans.

Not because Jrue sucked.

Not because he wasn't good enough.

They just weren't trying to win right then.

And that kinda became a theme with Jrue's career.

New Orleans is where Jrue became Jrue

This is probably the most important part of his career.

Jrue had already shown he could score and run an offense.

But in New Orleans, he figured out what kind of player he actually needed to be.

He played next to Anthony Davis and started becoming the guy who could literally do everything.

Need him to score? Cool.

Need him to guard the other team's best guard? Cool.

Need him to run the offense? Cool.

Need him to play off the ball? Cool.

And in 2018 he really showed what he was.

Around 19 points, 6 assists, 4.5 rebounds and All-Defensive First Team.

The next year?

21+ points and 7+ assists, while still making All-Defensive Second Team.

That's insane versatility.

He wasn't just a defender who could kinda score.

He wasn't just a scorer who couldn't defend.

He was both.

Then Milwaukee happened

In 2020 the Bucks basically said:

"Yeah, Giannis needs this guy."

They traded for Jrue to put him next to Giannis and Khris Middleton.

And Jrue immediately became exactly what they needed.

He didn't need to average 25.

He didn't need the offense built around him.

He just needed to make the team better.

And that's what he did.

Defense.

Playmaking.

Shooting.

Handling the ball.

Making the right pass.

Taking the big shot when nobody else wanted it.

And in 2021...

NBA champion.

That steal on Booker in the Finals?

Then throwing the lob to Giannis?

Yeah.

That's Jrue Holiday.

The Bucks made more playoff runs after that, but never got another ring with him.

Then they made the decision that still looks crazy today.

They traded Jrue for Damian Lillard.

Basically, Milwaukee wanted another superstar next to Giannis.

And sure, Dame is an incredible player.

But the Bucks lost something that was way harder to replace.

Jrue's defense. His versatility. His fit.

And then Boston got him

Boston already had Tatum and Brown.

They didn't need another dude who needed 20 shots.

They needed the perfect guy next to them.

And they got Jrue.

He didn't need to be the star.

He just needed to do Jrue things.

Guard.

Pass.

Shoot.

Rebound.

Make the smart play.

Do the dirty work.

And Boston won the championship in 2024.

Another ring for Jrue.

And here's the crazy part.

Boston eventually let him go because of the money and the second apron.

Not because Jrue suddenly wasn't good enough.

Again, it wasn't really about the player.

It was about the situation.

Now Portland

And now he's in Portland, around a young team.

At this point Jrue doesn't really have anything left to prove.

He's an All-Star.

He's a champion.

He's been All-Defensive.

He's played with Giannis, Tatum, Brown and AD.

He's been through basically every type of NBA situation.

So now his biggest value might be teaching young players what winning basketball actually looks like.

And honestly?

There probably isn't a better veteran for that.

But here's the thing...

Jrue Holiday isn't your normal role player.

A normal role player usually has one or two things they're really good at.

Jrue can do everything.

He can give you 20.

He can give you 8 assists.

He can guard your best player.

He can run your offense.

He can play off the ball.

He can be your third option.

He can be your fifth option.

And he'll be completely fine with either one.

That's what makes him different.

He could have tried to be the star.

Instead, he chose to be the guy who makes the stars better.

Two championships later, it's hard to argue with that decision.

So yeah...

Maybe calling Jrue Holiday a role player doesn't really make sense.

Maybe he's just the greatest player ever to embrace a role.