Jrue Holiday had a great start to the season for the Trail Blazers, but a right calf injury has sidelined him for the past six games. It’s unclear when he will return as Portland announced last week that Holiday would be re-evaluated in one-to-two weeks. That means Holiday could miss sit even more games even past that initial timeline.
Holiday last played Nov. 14 against the Rockets but hasn’t seen the court since then. The Blazers have gone 2-4 in his absence as they’ve hit a recent rough stretch. The Blazers have been down point guards specifically to open the year. Scoot Henderson hasn’t played in a game yet this year due to a left hamstring injury.
That’s all a tough blow for the Blazers after starting off the season strong. Holiday has averaged 16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game, playing like a steady veteran. The Blazers swung the deal for Holiday, dealing Anfernee Simons, in part because they wanted his experience on a young team looking to take the next step.
But the other side of the coin is that Holiday is 35, so injuries must be accounted for over the course of a long season. The C’s were conservative with Holiday whenever he had any injury issues over the past couple seasons. But the Blazers don’t have as much luxury in a tough West and already dealing with point guard issues.
Calf issues can also be troublesome as seen across the league. Injuries have hit the NBA hard to open the season as multiple stars have been sidelined. Holiday isn’t getting any younger so the team will likely make sure he’s fine before he sees the court again.
