The Boston Celtics traded away two of its point guards in the offseason, trading away Marcus Smart in the deal that netted them Kristaps Porzingis while giving up the reigning Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon to acquire Jrue Holiday. While Porzingis has grabbed all the headlines with how he has elevated the Celtics, Holiday has mostly drifted into the background, fulfilling his role as a glue-guy and as the team’s de-facto fifth option when everyone is healthy.
However, on Tuesday night, Holiday finally broke his uncharacteristic drought that has lasted for his entire Celtics stint. In a 118-110 win over the Brooklyn Nets, the veteran point guard dropped 14 points and 12 assists — according to StatMuse, this is the first time in a Boston uniform that Holiday was able to tally 11 or more dimes.
Just so it’s clear, Jrue Holiday has dropped double-digit assists as a member of the Celtics. He has done so on two separate occasions, carving up the Nets with his playmaking on November 4, 2023 while conquering the Sacramento Kings on December 20, 2023.
Nonetheless, Holiday’s numbers have been down across the board this season. This is an expected effect of playing for a stacked team like the Celtics. He is scoring six fewer points and he’s handing out nearly three assists fewer per game, a telltale sign that he’s not as high in the team’s offensive hierarchy as he was when he was with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Last season, Jrue Holiday had 15 games with 10+ dimes, including nine with 11 or more. But with the Celtics, he is sharing ballhandling responsibility with Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown, limiting his opportunities to commandeer the offense.
Still, it’s evident that whatever Holiday is doing, it’s working for the Celtics. They continue to truck along as the best team in the NBA and the arguable favorite to win the championship. Moreover, the 33-year old point guard provides plenty of intangibles to a Celtics team that has found it difficult to get over the hump, being the only player on the roster that has won a championship. But more dimes from the veteran will certainly be nice to see for a team that’s already approaching unstoppable levels.
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