The Portland Trail Blazers went 2-1 this week with wins over the Memphis Grizzlies and Indiana Pacers broken up by a loss to the Houston Rockets.
Multiple Blazers recorded big games throughout the stretch, but Blazer of the Week goes to Jrue Holiday for his consistent high-level play through all three games.
Holiday averaged 25.3 points, 8.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds while shooting incredible splits of 59.6% from the field and 57.7% from three-point range. Holiday’s week was highlighted by a season-high
35-point effort against the Grizzlies. In that game he also tied a career-high with 8 made threes and added 11 assists. His heroics helped will the Blazers to a win in a game that was close until the end.
For the first time this season, Holiday recorded back-to-back double-doubles as he followed up that performance with a 20-point, 10-assist game against the Rockets. His leadership from the point guard position helped steady Portland throughout difficult offensive stretches and kept the Blazers in the lead for much of the night before a late-game collapse.
In addition to the offense Holiday provided this week, he also played high level point-of-attack defense on opponent’s lead ball-handlers. He only managed two total steals this week, but that does not tell the full story of his defensive impact. His ability to meet ball-handlers before they can get into their rhythm disrupts the offensive flow and can lead to unforced errors.
This week’s honorable mention is Robert Williams III.
Williams averaged 13.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game this week. He was also incredibly efficient as he made 76.0% of his shot attempts. His ability to provide rim protection and rebounding when Donovan Clingan comes off the floor has been very important this season, but this week he showed off his inside scoring abilities as well.
Which Blazer impressed you the most this week? Let us know in the comments below!
