Part of the reasoning behind adding a 35-year-old Jrue Holiday to the young Portland Trail Blazers roster was to serve as a bridge, giving their up-and-coming backcourt more time to develop. It took some of the pressure off Scoot Henderson in particular. The Blazers wouldn't be so reliant on a 21-year-old point guard who is still trying to learn how to play the hardest position in the league. Henderson showed promising signs of development last season following a shaky rookie campaign, but that still would've been a lot to ask of him.
Still, part of the risk in Portland's offseason Anfernee Simons-Jrue Holiday swap with the Boston Celtics was Holiday's injury history.