(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Team USA will take on Puerto Rico in basketball at the Paris Olympics and will try to earn a perfect record in the group-play round.
Unfortunately, they will be without one of their biggest, most consequential stars.
According to Brian Windhorst, per Evan Sidery, Jrue Holiday is officially out of the game versus Puerto Rico because of an ankle injury.
With the loss of Holiday, Team USA will be without one of their most important two-way players.
Jrue Holiday is officially out for Team USA’s game vs. Puerto Rico due to an ankle injury, per @WindhorstESPN.
Holiday has played a pivotal two-way role thus far. pic.twitter.com/01Yz8weLl7
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) August 3, 2024
Holiday is a great scorer and has been awesome offensively already, but his defense is really special.
That defense will be greatly missed during the game against Puerto Rico.
The Americans won their first two games against Serbia and South Sudan and are looking for one more victory before they head into the next round.
They can still win their game over Puerto Rico, but it will be a bit more difficult.
However, the absence of Holiday will give another player more time to shine.
It is thought that perhaps Jayson Tatum or Derrick White will fill the void left by their fellow Boston Celtics star.
Now the question is just how long Holiday will be out.
Is the ankle injury serious and will it require that he misses more time in the days ahead?
If so, how will this affect the team, and how will head coach Steve Kerr replace him?
Even without Holiday, Team USA is still the odds-on favorite to win the gold medal but they definitely do not want to lose another star after this.
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