Hope Comes on a Holiday

Heading into last Thursday’s draft it was quite clear that the 76ers were on the market for a point guard. The uncertainty of Andre Miller’s situation (there has been much talk of his potential departure), coupled with the lack of depth at the position and no point guard prospects of the future currently on the roster, the position the Sixers were in need of became obvious. The player they would select with their lone pick (Round 1, Pick 17) however was not so obvious. The draft was chalk full of 1’s, from overseas stars (Rubio, Jennings) to proven points (Lawson, Maynor) to promising prospects (Holiday, Teague). With such a deep class of point guards entering the League this season, there was almost certain to be a high-caliber point guard available at the time of the Sixers selection. And there was. Rubio and Jennings were locked up in the lottery, leaving the rest of the litter for the team to mull over.

Once Jennings was taken off the board, I was praying that Ty Lawson would still be available at the seventeen spot. I viewed him as an exceptional athlete who had experience leading a club, as only a few months ago he fought through injury to help lead the Tar Heels to the National title. Much to my surprise (and pleasure), when it came time for David Stern to announce the Sixers’ pick, Lawson was still available. As the commissioner walked toward the podium, I anxiously waited, beer in hand, to celebrate the selection of the team’s P.G.O.T.F., but just as I was preparing to exchange high-fives with my friends, a different name came out of Stern’s mouth; a name that I hadn’t thought about or really even considered for the 76ers point guard position: UCLA’s Jrue Holiday. At first I was shocked, saddened, and sullen. I had of course seen Jrue play and was well aware of his talent, but I was also aware of his pedestrian stat line (8.5 points, 4 dimes, 4 boards a game) in his only collegiate season. I was neither confident nor comfortable with the pick, feeling that the more proven and experienced Lawson would have been a better fit for the Sixers’ system. I viewed Holiday as a project, while Lawson was a pre-wrapped package that was personally delivered to the Sixers, only to be passed over. However, as is customary with being a Sixers fan on draft night, I began to search for reasons to rationalize the pick, and unlike most years, I was actually able to produce some.

Holiday was a projected lottery pick, who was assumed by many to go in the top 10. He was ranked as one of the top point guard prospects in this year’s draft, and slid out of the lottery due largely to injury concerns. He has undeniable skill and raw talent that was not fully showcased in his single season at UCLA due largely to the splitting of guard duty with fellow 2009 draftee, Darren Collison. However, Holiday showed flashes of his greatness and potential consistently throughout the season. UCLA has had no shortage of great point guards over the past few years, many who have found success in the NBA (Farmar, Westbrook), and had Holiday stayed another year he certainly would have improved his numbers and his all-around game. However, the talent and potential seen by the experts is hard to deny, as many justify the pick as taking the best talent available.

Sure, Jrue may be a project, and he may not be quite ready to lead the team this year, but if Andre returns, then he will be able to pick his spots and learn from a veteran. At only 19, Jrue has quite some time to grow as a player and a leader, and if all goes according to plan, the Sixers might have found their point guard of the future.

Draft grade: The team addressed their biggest need and by taking the best available player, were able to get a player who was a projected lottery pick based on his talent and potential. He has the chance to contribute to the team this season, and become a fixture in the rotation for years to come. B+