Emmanuel Acho's hot take stirs huge debate: "I think Jrue Holiday is currently more conducive to winning than Kyrie Irving"

Kyrie Irving has been underwhelming for the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals so far, and sports analyst Emmanuel Acho argued that Jrue Holiday contributes more to winning for the Boston Celtics than Irving does for the Mavericks. This assertion has sparked an online debate regarding who is more conducive to winning.

On Monday, Acho stated that he had more confidence in Jrue Holiday to outperform Kyrie Irving based on their performances in the first two games of the Finals.

"I do have faith in Kyrie, but I have a lot more faith in Jrue Holiday, a champion, to help lead Boston, and I have a lot more faith in Jrue Holiday to continue to outplay Kyrie if you're talking both ends of the basketball court. If Kyrie doesn't score, Kyrie doesn't do anything," Acho said.

His statement has elicited various reactions from fans who shared their own perspectives.

"This is not a fair comparison when Holiday is not asked to be the No. 1 or No. 2 option. He is allowed to play with no pressure and he is special on both ends, no doubt," Dallas-based writer Clarence Hill Jr. (@clarencehilljr) commented.

X (formerly Twitter) user @0xGonna also mentioned that the Celtics’ depth allows Holiday to operate with less pressure.

"Kyrie has been bad, tbh. But I will say that Jrue doesn’t carry as much load as Kyrie. The Celtics don’t depend on Jrue to win. They have a stacked roster. The Mavs need Kyrie to play well to win," he said.

User @flight3026933 pointed out that the comparison was unfair as Holiday isn’t a "1A" player like Irving.

"Not really a fair assessment. Kyrie has mostly been in the Robin role, 1A type. Holiday was the third option in Milwaukee and now can't even be called the third option with Boston. Holiday has a different role than Kyrie. Hard to compare," he said.

Here are other thoughts from fans on the matter:

Fans talk Jrue Holiday vs Kyrie Irving

Looking at Jrue Holiday and Kyrie Irving’s stats in the 2024 NBA Finals

In the first two games of the Finals, Irving averaged 14.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.5 turnovers per game. He has yet to make a 3-point shot, and is shooting a disappointing 35.1% from the field in the Finals.

Holiday has been crucial to the Celtics' success, recording 19.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.5 blocks per game, with a 65.2% shooting percentage from the field and 44.4% from three-point range, all without committing a single turnover.

After Game 2, Holiday expressed his commitment to accepting any role the Celtics assign him.

“I’m a utility guy,” he said (per NY Post). “I’ll do whatever. I’m here to win. I feel like they brought me here to win, and I’ll do my best to do that.”

Meanwhile, Irving, who has now lost 12 consecutive games against the Celtics, admitted he was disappointed in his performance.

“A little disappointed in myself not being able to convert a lot more of my opportunities in the lane,” he said. “My teammates look for me to convert a lot of shots and lessen the burden not only on Luka but the entire team.”