Bobby Portis Jr. describes Jrue Holiday as a "crazy defensive player"

Bobby Portis Jr. had a lot to say about Jrue Holiday's defensive acumen.

The offense may win you games, but in the NBA, defense wins you championships. Yes, it’s a cliche, but it definitely bears mentioning considering that the Milwaukee Bucks employ three of the best defensive players in the entire league—Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez, and Jrue Holiday. 

The latter may not be as well-known to casual fans, but teammate Bobby Portis described him as a "crazy defensive player" during his appearance in JJ Redick’s podcast.

Remarkable anticipation

Playing defense in the NBA is a thankless job—what with all the rules that seemingly promote offense these days—but Holiday has found ways to make it work. He’s just as capable of staying in front of the opposition as he is clogging passing lanes, but his greatest asset may be his remarkable anticipation. Jrue's ability to guess correctly what an opposing player is going to do (or where they’re going) allows him to make plays that wouldn’t be possible for someone with less experience or intelligence.

"He's a crazy defensive player. I think one thing he does crazy is his anticipation. His anticipation is unreal. He can close out. Two of the hardest things to guard is pick and roll defense. Probably one of the things as a big and a guard, it's like 2 on 2 in the middle,” explained Portis.

“And then the second thing is closing out on someone that can live dribble and shoot, Jrue closes out and usually gets his way, and then he can just strip the ball. It's crazy how he can do this on a crazy basis,” added Portis.

Generational defensive player

Redick also chimed in on how underrated Holiday is in the Association. In his 13-year career, Jrue only has two All-Star appearances and four All-Defense team selections.

“To me, he's a generational defensive player that probably does not get enough credit because of the way it is. I don't know, if he wins another chip, he's probably on his way to the Hall of Fame — he does not necessarily get his due in that sphere,” said Redick.