Jrue Holiday ensures he can still play for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The two-time NBA champion, who didn’t play in the USA’s recent match against Puerto Rico, is good to go in the next matches.
Head coach Steve Kerr confirmed that Holiday will play in the USA’s upcoming match against Brazil. Team USA secured the top spot in Group C after decimating Serbia, South Sudan, and Puerto Rico.
“USA coach Steve Kerr says Jrue Holiday (ankle) will play Tuesday vs Brazil.”
Holiday has been suffering from ankle soreness since the match against South Sudan. He played for 15 minutes in that game, scoring only five points, two rebounds, and an assist.
The six-foot-four guard was necessary for Team USA. He’s an impressive perimeter defender and can also shoot. In the 2024 Olympics, he averaged ten points, three rebounds, two assists, and one steal per game.
Holiday was supposed to be one of the starting lineups in the USA’s match against Puerto Rico. Still, the ultimate decision is not to let him play. Kerr knows that Team USA needs the three-time NBA All-Defensive member in his best shape, and letting him rest for one game while the others secure the win is the best thing.
The former UCLA Bruin just recently won the NBA Championship for the Boston Celtics. Throughout his playoffs that season, he was the starting lineup in all games, averaging 13.2 points, 4.4 assists, and 6.1 rebounds. He also got a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and an NBA Championship for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.
Jrue Holiday’s teammates at Team USA continue to display dominance at the Paris Olympics
During Team USA’s match against Puerto Rico, Anthony Edwards displayed a marvelous performance of 26 points over just 17 minutes. Meanwhile, Holiday’s teammates Tatum and White scored a combined 12 points. Jayson even had 10 rebounds, the most in the USA that match, with nine being defensive rebounds.
Team USA is currently the top seed of the men’s basketball team, along with Germany. The Americans’ next opponent is Brazil on Tuesday. Suppose they emerge victorious, which is highly likely. In that case, they’ll face either Serbia or Australia in the next round, both formidable forces.
Brazil isn’t much of a threat to Team USA. They ended up in third place in their group. Holiday is particularly interested in playing in the USA’s next game, but he would probably play safe.
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