It seemed to work. The 19-year-old Holiday, the youngest player in the NBA, had his best overall game as a pro, contributing 15 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals as the Sixers posted their second-highest scoring total of the season in the 117-101 win. They also made 49.5 percent of their shots. Those are numbers Jordan wants from his team, which broke a 12-game losing streak with the win. And perhaps it's no coincidence that Holiday was in the starting lineup when it happened.
"I like what he does pushing the ball, making decisions, he makes great decisions," said Jordan of Holiday, who made his sixth start of the season in Monday's win. "I like his shotmaking, I like his savvy on the floor and, obviously, defensively he picks up early, he gets through the screens well and contains the ball as well as anybody on the team."
Is it a sign of desperation that the 17th overall pick is starting this early in the season, or is he simply that good?
Desperation might be too strong a word, though it would appear that Holiday's minutes were exaggerated due to the injury to starting guard Lou Williams, who broke his jaw a few weeks ago. But the UCLA product has shown massive improvement since training camp, and he looked pretty good there.
"I saw him pre-preseason, when we were playing five-on-five pickup," said Brand. "I saw his talent level, especially on the defensive end he was playing Lou Williams, a guard who was slated to basically start, and he was defending him every single play, tenacious D. His passing abilities are amazing and he shoots the ball well. He's a great young player."
