When the Milwaukee Bucks traded for Damian Lillard last summer, they certainly didn't anticipate Jrue Holiday ending up on the Boston Celtics. Fewer than nine months later, the Celtics have added an 18th championship banner to their all-time NBA ledger, a feat significantly attributed to Holiday’s transformative influence.
An Impact Beyond Numbers
Holiday has made the Celtics a revamped team in ways both tangible and intangible. Thriving in a role where he did not have to be the primary scorer or creator, he filled in all the right gaps and elevated Boston's defense to a suffocating level. Brad Stevens' tenure as the Celtics' general manager has been marked by some incredible trades, with many arguing that acquiring Holiday surpassed even his best moves, including landing Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White.
Defensive Masterclass
Holiday's defensive prowess was particularly highlighted during the series against the Dallas Mavericks. Although Jaylen Brown was impressive, it was Holiday who had Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in virtual shackles whenever he was on the floor. Holiday was arguably Boston's most valuable player in that series, capable of shutting down any opponent. Until Jayson Tatum put up a line of 31-11-8-2 in the clincher on Monday, Holiday's Game 2 performance was the standout single-game showing in this series.
You would need to go back to Michael Jordan in 1998 to find another player who scored at least 38 points with zero turnovers through the first two games of a Finals, as Holiday did against Dallas. The Mavericks' chances in the series dwindled as Doncic and Irving found themselves unable to generate consistent offensive leverage.
The Difference-Maker
Jrue Holiday's consistency throughout the series was remarkable. Signing him almost guarantees a title shot for any team. If Holiday were placed on the Knicks, the Sixers, the Clippers, or the Lakers, and if those teams aren't winning a title, they're right in the mix. Holiday is the only player in the league to win two championships over the last four years. In 2021, he played a crucial role in leading the Bucks to a championship against the Suns, rendering Chris Paul ineffective.
Jalen Brunson recently called Holiday the best defender in the league, a sentiment echoed by many. Holiday's lateral movement, flexibility, strength, and anticipation are otherworldly, making it an insane statement when an NBA analyst said, "I'm sure it happened at some point, but I can't recall Holiday getting truly beat one time in this series." Against players like Doncic and Irving, that is indeed an insane thing to say.
Beyond Defense
Holiday's contributions extend beyond defense. He consistently makes smart plays with the ball or cuts to the right spots. His ball-hawk instincts also help secure long offensive rebounds. He wrapped up the playoffs with impressive 50-40-95 shooting splits. In the Finals, Holiday averaged just under 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists on 53/42/100 shooting splits, scoring the first six points for the Celtics on Monday and feasting in the dunker's spot throughout the series as Tatum drew the defense's attention.
Doncic and Irving were all too happy to fall asleep as Holiday slipped in behind them. Holiday earned himself a little more cash with the $1.2 million bonus worked into his contract for winning the championship. He checked off every incentive bonus available to him, totaling an extra $2.8 million, in what has truly been a dream season.
A Hall of Fame Trajectory
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.