Pelicans.com continues its look back at the 2014-15 season with player-by-player analysis of the team:
2014-15 OVERVIEW During his four-year tenure with Philadelphia, Holiday was one of the NBA’s most durable players, missing a total of only 14 games. He played 147 of a possible 148 games during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 campaigns. Unfortunately for the point guard, injury misfortune has been a dominant theme of his two New Orleans seasons.
For the second straight year, Holiday was forced to sit out over half of the Pelicans’ games, due to a stress reaction in his right leg. He began 2014-15 playing and starting in each of New Orleans’ first 37 games, but then sat out the next 41 with the injury. Heading into this offseason, the 6-foot-4, 205-pounder’s biggest concern is solving the issue. After previously having surgery on the leg, he had surgery Wednesday to remove a screw from the area.
“I’m going to chill for a little bit. I need to get my leg to calm down a lot more before I can start doing anything back on the court,” Holiday said April 26. “It’s going to take time. Obviously there are some things I need to strengthen and things I need to find out, mechanically, if it’s just my leg or part of the surgery. Just some questions I need to answer.”
“There’s concern there,” Pelicans five-year head coach Monty Williams said. “Just because he’s unsure and he hasn’t been able to play. Our medical staff is evaluating daily, trying to figure out how to get him on the floor. We’re going to do everything we can to work with his doctors in L.A., to figure out how to get him back on the floor. No matter how you slice it, concern, frustration… bottom line is I’m more saddened that he can’t play for him. Hopefully, Lord willing, he’ll be back on the floor next year, and healthy.”
Injuries may have severely curtailed Holiday’s impact, but he still was a difference-maker in the Pelicans being able to reach the playoffs. He came off the bench in late-season home victories over Phoenix and San Antonio, sparking New Orleans to vital wins. In between, he had a 17-point game at Houston on 7-for-9 shooting. It couldn’t have been what he pictured going into the season, but his effort to rehabilitate and push himself back into uniform was a factor in the Pelicans accomplishing their No. 1 goal.
“I just want to get healthy. It’s been a couple years since I’ve been able to play a full season,” he said. “Last year was the first time I hadn’t finished a year. I didn’t want to do that two years in a row. Being able to finish, fighting for my team, I felt like I could give whatever I have, on one leg or one and a half legs, whatever it is. I really just tried to do it for my team.
“We have a couple free agents and they have to figure that all out, but mentally we’re in a good place. We kind of know what it’s about now. Hopefully we can get a season under our belt now where everyone’s healthy, to grow off that and become better players collectively. I know here they’ve been rebuilding for a while and going through a lot of changes, but I’d like to hope there won’t be too many changes. We have a good thing going.”
TOP THREE JRUE HOLIDAY GAMES OF 2014-15
#3, Jan. 9: New Orleans 106, Memphis 95 Holiday delivered 23 points, eight assists and two steals, in the second of two home wins for the Pelicans vs. the division rival Grizzles. New Orleans was plus-16 with its starting point guard in the game, but just minus-5 when he was resting. Holiday was 7-for-13 from the field, including three treys.
#2, Nov. 14: New Orleans 139, Minnesota 91 Among the numerous eye-opening statistics from the Pelicans’ franchise record-setting home victory over the Timberwolves, Holiday had an unheard-of plus-minus of 41 in only 28 minutes of playing time. In perhaps the most efficient statistical game of his NBA career, Holiday shot 9-for-10 from the field, scored 20 points and dished out nine assists.
#1, Dec. 21: New Orleans 101, Oklahoma City 99 The best example of how Holiday can help win games without scoring much (11 points). He handed out a season-high 15 assists and pilfered four steals, while harassing Russell Westbrook into 10-for-27 shooting. His hard-nosed steal of Westbrook and dish to Anthony Davis for a fast-break dunk was the final hoop of a memorable road victory.