Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday was the reason the Celtics team worked last year, and why they won the NBA Finals, according to reporter Bobby Manning.
According to Manning, Kristaps Porzingis gets most of the credit for their success, but he believes the Celtics only worked because of Holiday.
Only Holiday knew how to win a championship, winning the NBA Finals back in 2021 with the Milwaukee Bucks. He became a veteran leader on a younger team, and kept them focused on the goal.
While he didn’t put up the same offensive numbers as Porzingis, Jaylen Brown, or Jayson Tatum, he was the team’s leader on defense.
He was on the second team All-Defense, and had votes for Defensive Player of the Year. Before Holiday, the Celtics were purely offensive focused, and with him, they are balanced.
Holiday still has three years left on his contract, so here’s hoping he provides that veteran leadership for the next three seasons.