NBA 2018-19: Top 5 lockdown defenders from last season

#4 Jrue Holiday

Jrue Holiday defending Dennis Schroder

Jrue Holiday has made a name for himself through guarding opposing guards. Having always been a strong defender, his versatility is on full display in the modern-day NBA with most not realising just how strong Holiday is for his size.

An elite defender around the perimeter, the 29-year-old is extremely quick on his feet which allows him to stay with almost any other guard across the league. When matched with players his size, he's able to easily play the passing lanes to come up with steals or deflections. When beaten, it allows him to recover and contest shots - making him a tough matchup for anyone on the wing.

His strength, however, is what makes him stand out from other guards. While his size allows him to defend shooting guards, his strength makes him able to defend small forwards and occasionally power forwards too.

Having a weapon such as this on the defensive end allows the New Orleans Pelicans to willingly switch on screens while managing to get stops at the end of the possession. All these attributes allowed Holiday to average 1.6 steals and 0.8 blocks through 67 games for the Pels last season.