Jrue Holiday
Holiday looks like a veteran sixth man on a loaded Portland roster, with his main value as a defender and a ball-handler who can play either guard spot or slide to the wing.
Role
Reports expect Holiday to come off the bench behind a Lillard and Morant backcourt. Chris Haynes reported that Morant would start next to Lillard, with Camara, Avdija and Clingan as the other starters (Bleacher Report, about 4 days old). ESPN's fantasy blurb says he faces competition for minutes from Scoot Henderson and Vit Krejci. I found no minutes or usage figures for this season, and nothing from the regular season itself on how many minutes he is getting. He sat out the preseason finale with right hand soreness but was expected back for the Wednesday opener. I have not confirmed that he played or how the hand held up.
Portland's GM has pointed to Holiday's versatility because the roster is thin at forward and wing, after Grant, Kris Murray and Thybulle left. That could keep him on the floor in big bench minutes or in closing lineups, including on the wing. Reports say he was productive in 2025-26 and made a career-high number of threes per game, and a first-year head coach, Micah Nori, may lean on his defense.
He is 36 and no longer a lock to start, with Lillard, Morant, Henderson and Krejci all competing for guard minutes. With Morant and Lillard handling the ball, he is projected to have fewer primary ball-handling duties, which points to lower usage than last season. The hand soreness adds some health risk. He also missed about two months last season with a calf strain, according to Yahoo's preview.
Where analysts split
The open question is whether Holiday stays a bench player who plays big minutes at guard and wing, or whether Nori's rotation squeezes him toward the Henderson and Krejci tier. RotoWire's wording that a starting job is not assured leaves open how much of the role is fixed. I found no analyst predicting a return to the starting lineup, so the real uncertainty is how many minutes he gets.
Research confidence: thin. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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