The Milwaukee Bucks got off to a bit of a slow start to the 2020-21 campaign, at least relative to their past few seasons in which they’ve run away to the best record in the East, but in recent months they’ve started to look like a dominant force once again. A big reason for that is the health of their three stars, as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday have all been able to be on the floor together and gaining the reps needed in their first season together to get comfortable with how to operate, particularly in late game situations.
Holiday, in particular, has been terrific of late. On the season he’s averaging 17 points, 5.4 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game on strong efficiency (50.9/39.0/81.6 shooting splits), but over the last month he’s bumped those splits up to 53.3/43.8/90.3 and is averaging just over 20 points per game. That productivity has made the Bucks far more dynamic in crunch time situations, as they now have another player who can be relied on to make and create a bucket, something they’ve desperately needed. On top of that, he’s playing the elite level of defense he’s come to be known for over his career.
As such, the Bucks aren’t wasting any time making sure he’s locked into their future plans, as Holiday and Milwaukee have agreed to a max extension that will pay him $40 million per year for the next four years, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Milwaukee star guard Jrue Holiday and the Bucks have agreed to a four-year maximum contract extension worth up to $160 million, his agent Jason Glushon of @GlushonSM told @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 4, 2021
It’s little surprise that the Bucks would want to lock him down for the future, given the assets they gave up to trade for him this offseason, and as Holiday has had most of a season to spend with the organization and his two new co-stars, he’s clearly reached the decision that this is a place he wants to be long-term. With Giannis and Middleton both on max deals as well, the Bucks are positioned to be contenders for years to come, the question will be whether they have the firepower to take down the equally stacked Brooklyn Nets (and Philadelphia 76ers) to finally come out of the East.
