The Philadelphia 76ers are trying to ensure their first round pick from the 2009 draft makes the best of the time spent with them. Jrue Holiday entered the draft after his freshman year at UCLA where he was a dominant player for the Bruins.
Holiday was a stand out during his days at Campbell Hall High School in North Hollywood prior to committing the to the Bruins in 2007. He averaged 25.9 points and 11.2 rebounds per game in his high school career and was selected to the 2008 McDonald’s All-American game where he posted 14 points and five rebounds. The NBA has been a much different experience for him. In his second year in the NBA, he is averaging 13.2 points per game and 6.3 assists.
The 76ers do have an uphill battle in their division if they wish to make a push for the post season. They are currently in 3rd place in the Atlantic, trailing the New York Knicks and are 13 games behind the Boston Celtics. To make waves in the Atlantic the 76ers will need Holiday and teammates Elton Brand and Andre Igoudala to step up their play.
Averaging only 15 and 14.4 points per game respectively combined with Holiday’s 13.2 points will not be enough to make a run for the playoffs, however they are improving every day and with the help of Evan Turner, they may be able to make a run into spring and make the playoffs.
Holiday needs to revert to his college and High school production to be make waves in the NBA. In the game on Dec. 15 against the Clippers, Holiday began to show the 76ers why they chose to draft him in the first round of the 2009 draft. He scored 24 points to compliment teammates Igoudala’s 20 points and Spencer Hawes’s 12 rebounds in the 76ers 105-91 win over the Raptors.
I look for the Jrue Holiday jersey to be a top seller in Phily next year as he steps up to the next level and becomes an NBA All-Star.
