Although Jrue Holiday is frequently overshadowed in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation by perennial candidates such as Rudy Gobert, Ben Simmons, and Joel Embiid, the Milwaukee Bucks guard believes he should always be in the running for the award.
"Man, I feel like I'm the Defensive Player of the Year every year," Holiday told Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes. "I'm not joking about that. And I know this is my opinion, and other people have different opinions and they'll probably think I'm crazy. But I think what I bring defensively on the court, a lot of people don't really do, to be completely honest."
Holiday has remained an elite defender in his first season with the Bucks, averaging a career-high 1.7 steals per game while also ranking first in loose balls recovered per contest (1.3) and sixth in deflections (3.3). The 30-year-old is regularly tasked with defending opponents' top scoring options, but he's only been named to a pair of All-Defensive teams in his career.
However, Holiday isn't upset his stellar defensive play doesn't garner the same level of attention as some of his star counterparts.
"Does it make me mad? No. I'm OK with kind of being under the radar. I'm not a flashy person, so these are things that I can't control," Holiday said. "I know a lot of guys that hoop respect my game just like I respect theirs. I feel like that means more to me. Unfortunately, the players don’t have a vote."
Milwaukee has already clinched a top-three seed in the Eastern Conference. The team is hoping to avoid another early playoff exit with its Big Three comprised of Holiday, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Khris Middleton.
