Why Jrue Holiday was special for the Celtics from the very beginning

October 1, 2024 marked the one-year anniversary of the Boston Celtics acquiring Jrue Holiday from the Portland Trail Blazers shortly after acquiring him from the Milwaukee Bucks. A year later, it’s safe to say the Celtics got pretty much what they expected from Holiday. If not, even more so.

Honestly, what can be said about Holiday that hasn’t already been said? Brad Stevens’ behavior during his introductory press conference shortly after the trade told Celtics fans everything they needed to know. If the usually stoic Stevens is smiling, you know the Celtics have made a splash.

In addition to Holiday being considered part of one of the best defense pairs the Celtics have ever had, Holiday truly was the total package for Boston. Between well-timed shots, clutch steals and timely play in the decisive moments of Boston’s title run, there weren’t many celebratory moments. I couldn’t Down.

He may not have been their best player, but everyone watching knew what Holiday brought. However, there is one benefit that it has brought and that is the lack of sufficient recognition.

Holiday certainly made the Celtics better, but he also negated several threats the Celtics posed during the regular season and postseason. That advantage showed itself from the moment Boston acquired him.

1. Holiday denied the risk of losing Marcus Smart

The Celtics entered the 2023-24 season certainly with title expectations, but the only hurdle heading into the holiday was how exactly they were going to replace what Smart brought to the table. Smart’s imperfections stuck out like a sore thumb at times, but there’s no denying how much ground he covered on his own.

Trading him for Porzingis, among others, raised the Celtics’ ceiling, but it also raised some questions about the Celtics’ roster being a hole. Despite having more talent, the Celtics’ foundation seemed shakier without Smart in the picture, even as Derrick White rose through the ranks. Then the Celtics got Holiday and immediately put all of those concerns to rest.

Smart’s absence was supposed to fill some holes, but Holiday filled virtually all of them. It also wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest that he not only did everything Smart did, but also brought even more to the table.

2. Thanks to Jrue Holiday, the Celtics were less likely to be injured

The Celtics had legitimate championship aspirations before acquiring Holiday, but those aspirations required many risks to work in their favor.

It started with Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III, who had played important roles in their previous successes, but it also came with the risk of injury. Add Porzingis to the mix, and the Celtics left a lot to chance before they got Holiday.

Initially, the Brogdon and Williams trade seemed too deep to give up, but they proved that despite what they could bring to the table, they were unreliable. Adding Holiday eliminated that risk. While he may not be an iron man, Holiday has proven to be much stronger than Williams and Brogdon.

Holiday had a much healthier season than Brogdon and Williams, playing in more regular season games (69) than they combined (45). Even if it came at the expense of some depth, the Celtics had a much more solid foundation. When the Celtics acquired Holiday, they went from an excellent (but unstable) top seven to an elite top six.

The ironic aspect of all this is that Holiday’s transition to the Celtics wasn’t quick or easy, but first, trading for him right before training camp gave him little time to prepare, and second, it didn’t matter in the long run because once he understood his role, the Celtics became even more unbeatable.

The claim that Holiday had a hand in helping the Celtics win their first championship in 16 years is nothing new. But what deserves more attention is knowing how many questions he answered when Stevens took him to Boston.