Jrue Strong in Kings Workout
May 21, 2009 by Andrew Nicholson
Regarded as one of the most complete freshman in the country in his lone season at UCLA, guard Jrue Holiday joined guards Aaron Jackson (Duquesne), Josh Akognon (Cal St. Fullerton), Brandon Ewing (Wyoming), forward Tremaine Townsend (Cal St. Northridge) and center John Bryant (Santa Clara), as the Sacramento Kings held their first pre-Draft workout on Thursday.
Known for his defensive prowess and ability to finish at the rim, Holiday said this about his game, “I’m strong. I’m really consistent in a lot of the aspects of the game. I’m not too flashy but I can make flashy moves.
“I take (defense) personally. Last year, I guess, I was designated as the defensive stopper, guarding the best guards and sometimes even the three men, like Chase Budinger.
“I’m a big point guard. I can guard from the one to the three, maybe even the four. I’m young. I’m only 18 but I’m not really built like it. I’m stronger than people perceive me to be.”
“I was really impressed,” Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie said of Holiday’s workout. “He has great size and strength. He shot really well during the drills. He is really alert and attentive, and obviously well-coached to this point. He was very good.”
For complete video of Holiday’s thoughts on his first pre-Draft workout as well as further Petrie reaction to the workout, check out Kings.com Draft Central. Also check Draft Central soon to see collegiate highlights of Holiday and exclusive footage of his workout with the Kings.
Stay current with Draft Central until the Draft on June 25 for all access coverage of the Kings pre-Draft workouts.
[...] Geoff Petrie has already given thoughts on Holiday on the Full Court (Kings Connect) blog. [...]
Jrue sucks. You know what defensive prowess means? It means he can't score.
he is a great player but not at a number four pick
we need rubio.. if we can not get hem we have to have a guy like Curry from Davidson or Jennings.. We need someone who will put people in the seats and provide a face for the franchise which we desperatley need. I just dont beleive Jrue is that guy
Please keep in mind we currently have three picks in this Draft - #s 4, 23 and 31. There are going to be 30-50 players we bring in during the course of this evaluation process. We aren't evaluating those players only for the No. 4 spot.
i saw that we brought Aaron Jackson in for a work-out. This kid has NBA potential written all over him..The game i saw him play he had 46 points against VA Tech
I think the Kings should pick James Harden as their #4pick. He is a little above 6'5 and would be a great Point Guard for the Kings. The Kings really need a good Point Guard. If not then Jordan Hill is the second option. He's 6'10 and can guard the paint.
My boy Jrue!! Good luck, I hope you have a kings on jersey next year.
I am excited about 3 picks in the draft. I trust the organization to draft the best. Everyone needs to understand we had no D last year so bringing in Jrue for a workout is not a bad idea. Go Kings
James Harden is a shooting guard not a point guard, Jrue Holiday might be a great pickup at 4. I think he will end up suprising a lot of people. I also think DeRozan, and Curry would also be a smart draft choice.
If we do seriously consider drafting Jrue, then maybe we should trade down in the draft to get more than just Jrue. I am pretty sure he will still be there later in the lottery
Number 1: Jrue Holiday is actually a decent offensive player and he could score every once in a while.
Number 2: Didn't you see that the Kings had no defense last year. We need a guy who will commit to defense and not just offense.
ahh watch Brandon jennings! if you havent seen em watch some vids of him,
Jennings way over Jrue.
you are right, hes not.
Brandon Jennings!!!
all the teams that need a pg past us def want em, dont give em tht chance.
Draft Jennings!
we can asess a defensive player with the 23. not the 4
king should draft stephen curry as number 4 pick. he could help lift up the team.
Holiday is the real deal!! 6'4 Point Guard 205pds- 35 to 40 inch vertical with stupid handles and a jumper….Hello!!!!!-Deron Williams meets Gary Payton- We dont wanna be the team that passed on this dude in 2years…. GO KINGS 2009
We sucked last year!! Jrue Holiday will help build us back to contenders. We need a point/hybrid guard that be able to lead our team. We cant compete with little guards running the show. Hey I really like Curry, Jenning, Flynn for my college team or AAU team. But Holiday is the truth, seriously the kid is special..Now With that being said it really sucks that we couldn't get Rubio!!! Arrgh!
I had a feeling that Jrue Holiday might be one Petrie would consider..he 's been projected to go as high as 3 and all the way to the low 20's (like 23)…thinking of Flynn, Teague here…
I would like to take a "risk" at 4 with Brandon Jennings…
Will Brandon Jennings workout with the Kings…when?
The shooting will develop over time….
I can think of a PG, who's sort of a local product, who's improved his shooting over time in the NBA….
[youtube 2xQrzVmQIo0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xQrzVmQIo0 youtube]
[...] of Jrue Holiday’s workout This is via the Kings Connect blog, NBA.com, and [...]
We are currently in the process of scheduling several draft workouts between June 3 and the Draft on June 25. I hope to announce some of those workout rosters some time next week. Our scouting team leaves on Tuesday for the Chicago Pre-Draft Combine and then will be part of a multi-team, multi-player two-day extravaganza in Oakland that will feature four total workouts (24 total players there).
Frank- you clearly don't know anything about Jrue Holiday or the Sacramento Kings.
Holiday was one of the most complete freshman in the country, and is coming out (most likely) of UCLA, one of the top basketball schools in the nation with a very experienced head coach. Holiday is a tenacious defender and very explosive on the offensive end. Watch some clips of him…..he blows by defenders to end with a dunk and can hit the outside ball.
Now I'm not saying he's the best player in the draft, but if Rubio is taken, Holiday might be the way to go. A point guard with a very toned body, big hands, and a sense of how to play the position very well as well as being a pass-first point guard, and the Kings have themselves a pro player.
At 5:25 of the workout video reminded me of this video (see below). Isn't that Jrue Holiday playing defense without his shirt, and Brandon Jennings is…well ….
[youtube Z6MowgvwvlQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6MowgvwvlQ youtube]
dude brandon jennings
Lets draft Tyreke Evans I think that he will be a star !
but will it bring the fans in the the seats next year? we dont need a dud we need a stud meaning a star! lets not beat around the bush here people we could do better than holiday!! he's just an average point gaurd to me with no athletism or no flair in his game just simply boring… pleasssee. next workout!!!
We fell to the worst spot. We could've gotten a great point guard but i guess we are stuck with Beno and an ok rookie point guard that CAN be a bust. Kings need to make some trades.
I've looked at many mock draft's and i've seen 3 different players for our spot at #4 which are PF Jordan Hill of Arizona, PG Jrue Holliday of UCLA, and PG Brandon Jennings of Italy. I personally do not see sense in taking Jordan Hill at this spot. We have Jason Thompson who had a decent rookie campaign and Spencer Hawes who is starting to look better. We NEED a PG to take over the starting spot for Beno because he just isn't good in a starting role. If the kings can't trade up to get Ricky Rubio, then I personally think Brandon Jennings should be our guy. If you haven't seen this kid play, then you have to watch videos of him. He's got a lot of skill and I think will develop into a great PG. Jru Holliday is the second option I'd go with here if the kings decide they like him better. Another concern is our pick at #23. I've seen changes to our #4 spot in mock drafts but the #23 pick seems to stay constant with G Nick Calathes of Florida and I'm not thrilled about this. Wanna know who scouts have compared him to??? Are you ready for this?? BENO UDRIH!!! Why would we draft a guy that is compared to someone we already have and hasn't lived up to expectations. Plus I've seen the guy play and no offense but I'm not impressed. Use #4 on Brandon Jennings or Jru Holliday and use #23 on either SF Chase Budinger of Arizona, SF Sam Young of Pittsburgh, or PF Tyler Hansborough of North Carolina all of whom are projected to be available around our #23 pick. Those two scenarios make the most sense to get good players while filling needs. Just let me be in charge of drafting the players haha. I won't do Kings fans wrong
BRANDON JENNINGS IF WE CAN'T GET RICKY RUBIO!!!!!!!!!!!! BRANDO JENNINGS IS SUPER TIGHT REMINDS ME SO MUCH OF J WILL! IF WE NEED FANS AT ARCO BRANDON JENNINGS OTHER THAN RICKY WILL BRING BACK THE EXCITEMENT!!!!!! JUST IMAGINE BRANDON RUNNING THE PRINCETON, BENO WILL NEVER COME OFF OF THAT BENCH!!!!!!!!!!!!
I could not agree with you more: 1) Rubio 2) Curry 3) Jennings.
brandon jennings is jason williams with the body of gilbert arenas. he can handle the ball better than anyone. not only can he hit the 3, dunk like VC, put up the tear-drop and effectively pass to the open man but he does it with flash! he will bring people back to arco and make the kings enjoyable to watch again…plus i honestly think he will contribute right away to the team. opposing teams are going to sweat a little with a guy like jennings in the princeton offense.
jrue holiday is a great.. player…. and they sould draft him.. because … thats what the draft is about taking the best player u see on the draft board when its your turn to pick…. and thats why they sould draft him!!!!
jrue holiday is lame compared to some of the other prospects. Geoff needs to sacrifice somewhere and pick up rubio or jennings do whatever it takes, rubio will sell tickets jrue holiday will wear out our couch cushions.
Wait till curry gets his workout! Kings fans-GET OFF THE RUBIO BANDWAGON,KINGS NEED CURRY!
I watched the workout video of jrue and really he didn't look too impressive as a top 5 pick. With a top 5 pick you want to pick someone that you think will have a chance to be a star. Jrue looks like he could be a little better than average at point guard. He didn't wow me at all.
Jru would not be the best player to take in that situation. You could make the argument that he is he 6th best pg in the draft
Did you notice Jackson get by Holiday at 5:25 in the workout video? I wouldn't mind taking a "risk" and taking Jackson at 31.
petrie has eyes like we do. its obvious jrue is average. he didnt stand out against the others in the workout. no chances we need an impact player that will make others better. rubio, jennings, curry. in that order.
what about STEPHEN CURRY ? i think this kid is being over looked. take him wit the 4th pick. he's a steal at the 4th pick.