Jrue Holiday named second team All-NBA Defense
NEW ORLEANS – The NBA announced today that Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday was named to the 2018-19 NBA All-Defensive Second Team. The distinction is Holiday’s second All-Defensive Team selection is as many years, earning First Team honors for the 2017-18 campaign.
Holiday, 6-4, 205, finished the regular season as one of four guards in the NBA that compiled at least 300 rebounds, 100 steals and 50 blocks. His 1.6 steals per game ranked 10th in the NBA for the regular season, and his 54 total blocks led all guards in the league at the time of his last game played during the season on March 6. During the season, Holiday contested more field goal attempts per game (14.2) than any other guard in the NBA, and opposing players’ field goal percentage dropped by 0.7-percent on shot attempts defended by Holiday. Holiday finished the season ranked fifth among guards in deflections per game at 3.1, seventh among point guards in defensive real plus-minus at 1.17 and fell in the 92nd percentile for on-court/off-court defensive points per possession at -5.7.
Holiday is joined on the Second Team with Klay Thompson and Draymond Green (Golden State), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia) and Kawhi Leonard (Toronto).
Holiday is the third player from New Orleans to earn multiple All-Defensive Team honors, joining Chris Paul (Second Team 2007-08; First Team 2008-09) and Anthony Davis (Second Team 2014-15; Second Team 2016-17; First Team 2017-18).
The NBA All-Defensive Teams were selected by a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Players were awarded two points for each First Team vote and one point for each Second Team vote. Voters selected two guards, two forwards and one center for each team, choosing players at the position they play regularly. Players who received votes at multiple positions were slotted at the position where they received the most votes.
Below are the voting results for the 2018-19 NBA All-Defensive Teams. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP.
| 2018-19 NBA ALL-DEFENSIVE FIRST TEAM | |||||
| Pos. | Player, Team | 1st Team (2 Pts.) | 2nd Team (1 Pt.) | Total | All-Def. Selections |
| C | Rudy Gobert, UTA | 97 | 2 | 196 | 3 (three 1st) |
| F | Paul George, OKC | 96 | 3 | 195 | 4 (two 1st, two 2nd) |
| F | Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL | 94 | 5 | 193 | 2 (one 1st, one 2nd) |
| G | Marcus Smart, BOS | 63 | 19 | 145 | 1 |
| G | Eric Bledsoe, MIL | 36 | 28 | 100 | 1 |
| 2018-19 NBA ALL-DEFENSIVE SECOND TEAM | |||||
| Pos. | Player, Team | 1st Team (2 Pts.) | 2nd Team (1 Pt.) | Total | All-Def. Selections |
| G | Jrue Holiday, NOP | 31 | 28 | 90 | 2 (one 1st, one 2nd) |
| G | Klay Thompson, GSW | 23 | 36 | 82 | 1 |
| C | Joel Embiid, PHI | 4 | 72 | 80 | 2 (two 2nd) |
| F | Draymond Green, GSW | 2 | 57 | 61 | 5 (three 1st, two 2nd) |
| F | Kawhi Leonard, TOR | 5 | 29 | 39 | 5 (three 1st, two 2nd) |
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Matt Ryan
