Sixers Draft Future Floor Leader in Jrue Holiday

The Philadelphia 76ers have reached the postseason in each of the last two seasons, but have not been serious threats to win either of their first-round series' the last two seasons, getting eliminated quickly before landing them in the 'no-man's land' that is the middle of the NBA Draft.

Picking 17th this season - and looking at the possible departure of veteran point guard Andre Miller, a restricted free agent this summer - basketball pundits everywhere knew the Sixers would select a point guard that could grow with the team's young core of athletic players while developing into a mature floor leader that could possibly take the team to heights they haven't seen since former Hall of Fame stars like Julius 'Dr. J.' Erving and Moses Malone were still plying their trade in the 'City of Brotherly Shove.'

While most NBA experts expected the Sixers to go after a more mature, ready-to-play-now point guard like former North Carolina Tar Heel star Ty Lawson or former VCU standout Eric Maynor, the Sixers surprised everyone by selecting talented young point guard Jrue Holiday out of UCLA.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 180-pound Holiday was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team in 2009 just one year after being named the 2008 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year as a high school senior.

While Holiday played the shooting guard position at UCLA as senior point guard Darren Collison remained at his natural position, Holiday is viewed as a player with as big of an upside as any point guard in the entire draft.

Holiday averaged 8.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.5 blocks in 27.1 minutes per game in his only collegiate season and earned Pac-10 All-Freshman Team honors along the way.

While I like Holiday as a player, I think the Sixers dropped the ball with their only draft choice by failing to select a point guard that was more ready to contribute to the team's immediate success.

The fact of the matter is that Holiday, who just turned 19-years-old, is going to take at least two to three seasons to figure out the nuances of the NBA game and exactly what he can and cannot do against the best basketball players in the world.

Philadelphia recorded a so-so 41-41 record this past season after going 40-42 in 2007-08 and could have benefited more by drafting a player that was more ready to contribute right away than Holiday is at the moment.

I think either Ty Lawson or Eric Maynor will both turn out to be as good as - or better - than Holiday - and much more ready to contribute to the team's immediate success as both are a bit older and much more experienced floor generals - and Maynor a terrific scorer as well.

Philadelphia will desperately need a veteran point guard to get the ball to Elton Brand, Andre Iguoadala and blossoming youngster Thaddeus Young if Miller bolts in free agency - and Holiday simply won't be ready to handle those duties at this stage of his young career come next season.

Unless they acquire a superstar player through a trade, Philadelphia will almost assuredly remain a middle-of-the-pack team next season and could be fighting just to reach the postseason with several other Eastern Conference ballclubs making numerous transactions to improve their respective franchises heading into the 2009-10 season.

While I respect Sixers GM Ed Stefanski and generally think he does a fantastic job and is as knowledgeable as any GM in the league, I've got to admit that the Sixers dr0pped the ball by selecting Holiday - and will pay for it come next season, likely by missing out on the postseason altogether.