:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47105764/usa-today-8326676.0.jpg)
Jrue Holiday is not a terribly flashy point guard. The New Orleans Pelicans point guard excels on defense, an area most writers and fans pay mere lip service to while focusing on things more easily quantified. While he has continued to make substantial improvements on offense an inability to remain on the court hangs over his future. All this to say Holiday is considered an average point guard. Certainly not on the top ten list at the deepest position in the league for many. But, just because he is average does that make Holiday overpaid?
Here we need to understand what "average" pay for a point guard is in the NBA. It's a lot. At least 70 players in the NBA will make more this season than Jrue Holiday. 14 different point guard are among those 70 players. Holiday, in this respect, is paid far more like an average point guard than many would expect looking at a salary above $10 million a season. Take a look at the salaries of point guards throughout the league according to Basketball Insiders.
| Position | 2015-2016 | |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Paul | PG | $21,468,696 |
| Derrick Rose | PG | $20,093,064 |
| Russell Westbrook | PG | $16,744,219 |
| Kyrie Irving | PG | $16,407,500 |
| John Wall | PG | $15,851,950 |
| Goran Dragic | PG | $14,783,000 |
| Reggie Jackson | PG | $13,900,000 |
| Eric Bledsoe | PG | $13,500,000 |
| Tony Parker | PG | $13,437,500 |
| Ricky Rubio | PG | $12,700,000 |
| Ty Lawson | PG | $12,404,495 |
| Kemba Walker | PG | $12,000,000 |
| Kyle Lowry | PG | $12,000,000 |
| Stephen Curry | PG | $11,370,786 |
| Jrue Holiday | PG | $10,595,507 |
| Mike Conley | PG | $9,588,426 |
| Rajon Rondo | PG | $9,500,000 |
All from Basketball Insiders. Note that ESPN's salaries list has a number of omissions.
Now, consider how Holiday ranks among this group in a number of other "catch all" metrics. 13th in PER. 10th in ESPN's Real Plus-Minus. That's not a bad value. Every point guard above Holiday in salary is locked up next summer. Michael Conley is on track for a significant raise. Is production in the 10-13 range worth a salary outside the top 15? I would say yes.
All of this comes back to Jrue Holiday's health. If increased caution and the results of his recent screw removal get Holiday back on the court near his historical norms the Pelicans should reap substantial rewards. If, however, Holiday cannot stay in uniform much of this is for not.