Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown. David Butler II-Imagn Images

How Celtics just put Jaylen Brown into unenviable position

By Adam Taylor | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 7:26 PM ET

On Monday, the Boston Celtics traded Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers. In return, Brad Stevens acquired Anfernee Simons, a 2030 second-round pick via the New York Knicks and a 2031 Trail Blazers second-round selection.

Trading Holiday is the first step in Brad Stevens' attempt to get the Celtics out of the second luxury-tax apron. However, the decision to trade Holiday will certainly have a ripple effect throughout the roster.

Not only was Holiday Boston's best defender, but he was also their most versatile. He's one of the few players who can guard every position on the court. Without him on the roster, many additional point-of-attack and on-ball defensive reps will fall to Jaylen Brown.

Without Holiday on the roster, I'm expecting the Celtics to feature Jaylen Brown as the primary on-ball defender next season.

If he can showcase the same level of defense we saw in 23-24, he could be in for one hell of season.

Potential to make an All-Defense team... pic.twitter.com/zVRnVTBJtM
— Adam Taylor (@AdamTaylorNBA) June 24, 2025

Brown's on-ball defense was an essential part of Boston's run to the 2024 NBA championship. However, with Jayson Tatum set to miss most, if not all, of the 2025-26 season, Brown is already expected to shoulder a significant burden as the team's de facto star player.

Asking him to also become the team's primary defender could be a tall task. That means Brown will be getting significant usage on both sides of the ball. While he is more than capable of thriving in such a large role, the risk of injury could be significant.

Boston must find a way to ease Brown's projected burden on offense and defense. Of course, the hope will be that Simons' perimeter-based offense can ease some of the pressure Brown is facing. Yet, without Tatum and now Holiday, the team seriously lacks shot creation and playmaking.

The Celtics are certainly a team in flux. They just dealt Kristaps Porzingis in a three-team trade.

As such, the hope is that Stevens can add some more balance to the current roster. Otherwise, Brown will be forced to carry an MVP-level load, and only time will tell if he's both capable and willing to embrace such a big role.

Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor is a sports journalist based out of the UK. Adam has been covering the NBA for nearly a decade with a core focus on the Boston Celtics. He currently holds bylines with Yardbarker, SB Nation and USA Today

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