Former Denver Nuggets coach George Karl says Jrue Holiday is better than Damian Lillard in the playoffs

With the Milwaukee Bucks parting ways with Jrue Holiday in their trade for Damian Lillard, many have noted the major loss Holiday will be, even with the addition of Lillard. That said, most of these people recognize this was a deal Milwaukee needed to make, as Lillard’s overall impact is greater than Holiday’s come playoff time.

One person who does not believe Lillard’s impact outweighs Holiday’s is former Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl. Appearing on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Karl said, “I think [Damian] Lillard probably makes them more exciting, more explosive. I think he’ll go in there with some excitement being on a team that can win a championship. But to be honest with you, in the playoffs, [Jrue] Holiday might be better than Lillard. And I know statistically that won’t prove out, but the intangibles that Holiday brings to the game, that’s what wins playoff games. The little things.”

"In the playoffs, [Jrue] Holiday might be better than [Damian] Lillard."

Former Bucks Head Coach and Hall of Famer George Karl weighed in on the Damian Lillard trade.@CoachKarl22 | @TheFrankIsola | @Scalabrine pic.twitter.com/wa2QSNAJPe

— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 30, 2023

This is certainly a bold claim, because while Holiday has been an integral piece to Milwaukee’s success since his arrival, his offensive playoff struggles have often made life difficult on the Bucks. Of course coming through in some big moments, specifically on the defensive end, Holiday was huge in Milwaukee’s 2021 title run. That said, he also had some very poor offensive games which made things difficult on the Bucks.

For Lillard, this is a great opportunity to prove people like Karl wrong.