Jrue Holiday Breaks Down Guarding The NBA’s Best Scorers

He likes to pass the ball more when driving with his left. And I'd rather pass than shoot or score. What's up guys? This is Jrue Holiday. I'm going to take you through my film session. The breakdown. Just to show you what I do on a daily basis against the

best

players in the world. And why I'm the

best

defender in the league. Come on. The hard thing about Steph is that he's super fast. He is very fast, very clever. We know how he can shoot you. So this, again for me, becomes something like a long-distance track and field competition.

Where one of us will get tired and I won't be the first. We already know that I will stay with Steph no matter what. He hits me with a screen and I fight through the screen. Above, below, but most of the time above. Because I can get closer to him and possibly get him off the 3-point line. At this point, I'm just attached to it. I am stronger than him. So I feel like I'm just trying to be physical with him. And I don't want to give them space to feel comfortable. Don't let him go where he wants.

And while they do that dribble handoff, I put my hand on the ball. There's also another term we use called "on an island." So if I have Steph alone and he's in the corner. And it's just him and me. I'm "on the island" with Steph. And normally, when you're on that island, someone behind you has to communicate and tell you what's going on. So I squeeze him because I don't want him to shoot 3, I don't want him to give him space. And then I send it in an address. You can see that my right foot is at the top of that 3-point line.

And I'm giving it that basic push, knowing that my helper will be there. And then being able to just reach in and get that ball out of bounds. I didn't know the exact metrics. But I also know that for us to win the game he will have to really fight. It's great, even just here, to be able to put that on record. Just like how much you push someone. And these are professional athletes. And they are the best way to do it. That's why they're in the NBA and making this money. Dame is called "Logo Dame" for a reason.

It's not easy to defend someone so tall. That's where I listen to many of my colleagues. And what is happening, if there is a screen, in which direction to send it. I'm already picking it up near half court. The screen appears, then they communicate the screen. I get under the screen because the big man is above. Four, five, maybe even six feet above the 3-point line, which Dame is capable of shooting. But I get under it so he doesn't break. He doesn't try to dribble back and split between him and me. You see, I kind of interrupted him.

And then I keep it at that angle. So that you have a way to go. I would prefer the ball not to be in Damián's hands. And you see Steph, Dame, Trae Young, Luka, LeBron. You see these guys shoot from half court. You see a big shot like that go in, and that could really spark something on the scoreboard. Defense is difficult. I mean Boston, where you have Kemba. He loves to shoot threes, but he can also get to the basket. You have Jason, who is a really good, almost great one-on-one player. You have Jaylen Brown.

So I see everyone differently. He is a corner filler. And you're not supposed to leave filler in the corners. Our philosophy is not to let the corners fill because that is one of the best shots in the league. I mean, us kids do that with our eyes closed. I ended up being late to the close-up. Which, at this point, I'm thinking, "I messed up. Let me try to get him out of line." So I overdid it. And I try to get on the left side of him to try to get him to move down the line, knowing that my helper is there.

Kemba will face someone like Brook, who is six feet tall. It's going to be a difficult shot. Jason, I feel like I'm faster than him. So I usually try to push it. For one thing, he's probably three or four inches taller than me. He does a nice little crab dribble before stepping back. My momentum is forward. I also know that he is going to take a step back. And I'm going to compete the best he can. That's what I think about when I try to guard guys who are prolific

scorers

. Knowing that you can push someone and still do a great job with them really makes me feel good.

You know, he should be the Defensive Player of the Year here. Kids need to learn how to defend themselves, man. It's fun. More or less give you my opinion on the defense. And what is needed. You gotta start locking people up, man. It is the way to go. Get under the skin. Stop them on defense, man. I love it.