When the Milwaukee Bucks traded for Damian Lillard last summer, they didn't anticipate Jrue Holiday ending up on the Boston Celtics. Less than nine months later, the Celtics have added an 18th championship banner to their all-time NBA ledger. This swift turn of events underscores Holiday's transformative impact on the Celtics, both in tangible and intangible ways.
Holiday’s Transformative Role
Holiday thrived in a role where he did not have to be the primary scorer or creator. Instead, he adeptly filled in all the right gaps, elevating Boston's defense to a suffocating level. Brad Stevens' tenure with the Celtics has been marked by some incredible trades, including landing Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White. However, many argue that acquiring Jrue Holiday surpassed these achievements.
Holiday's defensive prowess was particularly highlighted during the series against the Dallas Mavericks. He consistently shut down any opponent and was Boston's most valuable player in that series. Until Jayson Tatum put up a line of 31-11-8-2 in Game 6, Holiday's Game 2 performance—where he scored at least 38 points with zero turnovers—stood out as the single-game highlight of the series. You would have to go back to Michael Jordan in 1998 to find another player who achieved such a feat in the Finals.
Shackling the Mavericks
The Mavericks' chances in the series dwindled as Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving found themselves unable to generate consistent offensive leverage against Holiday. Although Jaylen Brown was impressive, it was Holiday who put both Doncic and Irving in virtual shackles whenever he was on the floor. His consistency throughout the series was remarkable, showing that if you sign him, a title shot is almost guaranteed to follow.
Holiday's impact extends beyond his defensive skills. He consistently makes smart plays with the ball and cuts to the right spots. His ball-hawk instincts also help secure long offensive rebounds. He wrapped up the playoffs with an impressive 50-40-95 shooting split, averaging just under 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists on 53/42/100 shooting splits in the Finals. Holiday scored the first six points for the Celtics in Game 6, exploiting the defensive attention drawn by Tatum to feast in the dunker's spot.
A Season of Accolades
Holiday earned himself a little more cash with the $1.2 million bonus worked into his contract for winning the championship, checking off every incentive bonus available to him for a total of an extra $2.8 million in what has truly been a dream season. In less than a year, Holiday went from discovering he had been traded from the Bucks upon waking from a nap to winning the second championship of what is becoming a Hall of Fame career.
His impact on the Celtics has been immeasurable. In the world of professional sports, sometimes a single player can indeed make all the difference. Holiday’s defensive skills were crucial in leading the Bucks to the 2021 championship against the Phoenix Suns, where he rendered Chris Paul ineffective. Just recently, Jalen Brunson called Holiday the best defender in the league—an assertion supported by many within the NBA community.
Unprecedented Defensive Skills
Holiday’s lateral movement, flexibility, strength, and anticipation are otherworldly. He demoralizes opponents to the point where they hesitate to even want the ball in their hands. His contributions extend beyond defense; he also consistently makes smart plays with the ball and cuts to the right spots, proving his value on both ends of the floor.
In a testament to his incredible abilities, an NBA analyst stated, "I'm sure it happened at some point, but I can't recall Holiday getting truly beat one time in this series. Against Doncic and Irving? That is an insane thing to say." This level of defensive dominance is rare, and it solidifies Holiday's reputation as a game-changing player capable of leading his team to success.
Jrue Holiday’s journey over the past year is a story of resilience, adaptability, and exceptional skill. From being unexpectedly traded to becoming a pivotal figure in the Celtics' championship run, Holiday's contributions have been nothing short of monumental. As the only player in the league to win two championships over the last four years, Holiday has cemented his legacy as one of the NBA's premier defenders and a crucial asset for any team aiming for greatness.