Bucks' Jrue Holiday Discusses COVID-19 Diagnosis After Return vs. Clippers

Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday talked about his COVID-19 diagnosis after he returned to the court for the first time since Feb. 6 to help lead his team to a 105-100 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.

Holiday told reporters he tested positive, experienced symptoms and quarantined by himself for 11 days.

The guard also said, "I felt like my legs were OK, but I'm a step slow."

Holiday played 18 minutes and finished with two points, three assists and two turnovers while shooting 1-of-5 from the field and 0-of-3 from three-point range. It was apparent for stretches that he was working his way back into the lineup because he didn't look like the two-way game-changer he typically is for the Bucks.

He entered play averaging 16.4 points, 5.4 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 50.2 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from deep.

Milwaukee made a splash this offseason when it traded for Holiday in the hopes of bolstering the lineup around Giannis Antetokounmpo and making a run to the NBA Finals while the two-time defending MVP is still in the middle of his prime.

The Bucks have fallen short of late, losing in the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals to the Toronto Raptors and losing in the second round last season to the Miami Heat.

Part of the problem for Milwaukee in those postseason series was the inability of the supporting cast to take advantage of the additional space created when the opposing defense packed the lane to cut off Antetokounmpo's penetration.

Holiday is someone who can do just that while also facilitating for others and helping dictate the pace of the game from the point guard position.

While he is still working his way back to full health for now, his presence should be a major boost come playoff time.