Pelicans.com continues its look back at the 2015-16 season with player-by-player analysis of the team:
2015-16 OVERVIEW
After his two previous New Orleans seasons were cut short by leg issues (34 and 40 appearances, respectively), one of the best pieces of news for Jrue Holiday this time was that he did not miss a game due to injury until late March. Holiday was sidelined for the Pelicans’ final nine games, but that was a result of a freak orbital fracture under his eye, after he accidentally collided with New York forward Kristaps Porzingis’ elbow.
Based on his prior battles with leg problems, Holiday was kept on a minute restriction early in the season and was not allowed to play in back-to-back games until Dec. 26, but after those guidelines were lifted, his performance and consistency spiked. For example, he had one memorable three-game January span in which he averaged 27.7 points and 8.0 assists, along with tallying 20-plus points in eight consecutive February contests. By comparison, in all of 2014-15, he had a total of eight games of 20-plus points; during his NOLA debut season of 2013-14, he did it five times.
“I want to see him get in the post – he’s one of the bigger guards,” the 6-2 Pack said. “That will give me a chance to bang with him a little bit and channel my inner big man. I think he can be very effective, not only scoring but also being a facilitator down there, controlling the offense from the post. I want to see him flourish in that area next season.”
Pack also will work with Holiday on late-game decision-making. As Pack describes it, a player’s approach must change after the first 43 minutes of a game, leading to slight crunch-time adjustments in areas such as shot selection and the risk/reward of passes.
“The last five minutes of the game,” Pack said of an area to focus on this offseason. “That’s where the two most important people are the head coach and point guard. They have to be aligned. It’s more mental, more locked in than the previous 43 minutes. I’ve really talked about that a lot to (Holiday) – how he can better manage the game in the last five minutes. It’s something we could spend a little time on this offseason, to be better prepared to handle those situations.”
To Holiday’s credit, the point guard has proven to be receptive to working on all aspects of his game. That approach helped the one-time Eastern Conference All-Star demonstrate considerable improvement in 2015-16, particularly from January through March.
“I really enjoy working with him because he wants to get better,” said Pack, who carved out a 13-year NBA career despite being undrafted. “That’s how I made it in the league. He wants to find things in his game to work on. He puts in the work and allows me to coach him, which is important.”
TOP THREE JRUE HOLIDAY GAMES OF 2015-16
#3, Feb. 19: New Orleans 121, Philadelphia 114
One of two 20-10 games this season by Holiday (the other was a 34-10 in an overtime loss at Memphis), he posted 24 points, 12 assists and four steals against his former team. In the first game after the All-Star break for both clubs, New Orleans rolled to a 71-point first half. Holiday also had a 38-point game March 9 at Charlotte in a nine-point defeat.
#2, Feb. 8: New Orleans 116, Minnesota 102
A day after Super Bowl 50, Holiday turned in a super performance by coming off the bench to register 27 points, six rebounds, nine assists and three steals, in only 27:56 of playing time. The Pelicans were a whopping plus-26 when Holiday was on the floor.
#1, Jan. 30: New Orleans 105, Brooklyn 103
By dropping in 26 points, Holiday scored his second-most points in a Pelicans victory all season, but most importantly, he sealed the win by draining a game-deciding jumper. With his body drifting to his right, Holiday sank a high-degree-of-difficulty shot from near the sideline over Brooklyn defender Thomas Robinson, with 1.3 seconds left. Holiday also handed out seven assists.
BEHIND THE NUMBERS
16: Holiday’s NBA rank in assists per game, among all qualified players. He averaged 6.0, placing him between Boston’s Isaiah Thomas (6.2) and Atlanta’s Jeff Teague (5.9). However, in per-minute assists, Holiday zooms all the way up to a tie for ninth with Atlanta’s Dennis Schroder. Both averaged 10.3 dimes per 48 minutes.
17.0: Points per game for Holiday during his 42 appearances off the bench, which helped make him a Sixth Man of the Year candidate. That discussion diminished after Holiday was moved back into the first string out of necessity March 7, as a result of numerous Pelicans backcourt injuries.
500: Total points scored by Holiday in the 21 games he logged 30 or more minutes, which computes to an average of 23.8 points. He also had 155 assists in those instances, an average of 7.4 per game.