As he did in New Orleans and then in Milwaukee, Jrue Holiday has integrated perfectly into Boston. The 2021 champion is already important among the Celtics, without forcing since he averages only 13.4 points, his lowest in “scoring” in more than ten years.
“It wasn’t difficult to adapt. It is above all a state of mind. We must provide what is missing”, he explains to The Athletic. “If it’s rebound, I’ll do it. If it’s putting the ball inside to pass or shoot, I do it. If it’s to defend against the best opposing player, from the playmaker to the pivot, I do it. Joe Mazzulla talked to me about a little bit of all that: scoring, being aggressive and being a dog on defense. »
It is obviously in this last area that Jrue Holiday shines the most, because offensively, he takes what the defense offers him and his 3-point shot is not yet settled (34% success, against 39.5% during his seasons in Milwaukee) since his arrival in Boston.
A new responsibility in defense
“I play with the others. I’m versatile “he continues. “I can have an impact without touching the ball, on the rebound for example, or by stealing balls, by deflecting passes. I’m a player who will sometimes have shots, and sometimes not. There are days when I will take fifteen shots, others only four. »
Joe Mazzulla does not hesitate to rely on the former Bucks playmaker when it comes to the Celtics defense. He asks her for her opinion and advice, and this is new to him.
“I talk to him about that. I tell him what I see from the field: if we want to move into the zone, if we need to change or, on the contrary, follow our players,” explains Jrue Holiday. “I have the impression that the coach and the staff allowed me to see things from another angle. Before, I didn’t have to worry about all that, I did what the coach said. As he asks us things, we must stay connected to the meeting. »
He has the coach’s ear
An example ? “If we play against Duncan Robinson, probably changing in defense is not a good thing to do. Rather, we must follow him”he replies.
The young Celtics coach justifies this choice by the long experience of his recruit, “who has been in the league for a while” and has “defended over everyone”. And even the interiors now.
“He played against all the coaches and all the teams,” recalls Joe Mazzulla. “He has excellent instinct on player profiles, on details to defend on certain ones. So we communicate during shootarounds and video sessions. I have these discussions with several players during matches. With him, we talk about our defense: how can we change the rhythm of the match? He accepted this role and this responsibility. When you have a player of this caliber, you have to use him in several ways. »
| Jrue Holiday | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2009-10 | PHL | 73 | 24 | 44.2 | 39.0 | 75.6 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 3.8 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 8.0 |
| 2010-11 | PHL | 82 | 35 | 44.6 | 36.5 | 82.3 | 0.8 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 6.5 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 14.0 |
| 2011-12 | PHL | 65 | 34 | 43.2 | 38.0 | 78.3 | 0.9 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 13.5 |
| 2012-13 | PHL | 78 | 38 | 43.1 | 36.8 | 75.2 | 1.1 | 3.1 | 4.2 | 8.0 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 3.7 | 0.4 | 17.7 |
| 2013-14 | NOP | 34 | 34 | 44.7 | 39.0 | 81.0 | 0.8 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 7.9 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 0.4 | 14.3 |
| 2014-15 | NOP | 40 | 33 | 44.6 | 37.8 | 85.5 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 6.9 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 14.8 |
| 2015-16 | NOP | 65 | 28 | 43.9 | 33.6 | 84.3 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 6.0 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 0.3 | 16.8 |
| 2016-17 | NOP | 67 | 33 | 45.4 | 35.6 | 70.8 | 0.7 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 7.3 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 15.4 |
| 2017-18 | NOP | 81 | 36 | 49.4 | 33.7 | 78.6 | 0.8 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 6.0 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 19.0 |
| 2018-19 | NOP | 67 | 36 | 47.2 | 32.5 | 76.8 | 1.1 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 7.7 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 21.2 |
| 2019-20 | NOP | 61 | 35 | 45.5 | 35.3 | 70.9 | 1.3 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 6.7 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 19.1 |
| 2020-21 | MIL | 59 | 32 | 50.3 | 39.2 | 78.7 | 1.2 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 6.1 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 17.7 |
| 2021-22 | MIL | 67 | 33 | 50.1 | 41.1 | 76.1 | 1.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 6.8 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 18.3 |
| 2022-23 | MIL | 67 | 33 | 47.9 | 38.4 | 85.9 | 1.2 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 7.4 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 0.4 | 19.3 |
| 2023-24 | BOS | 11 | 34 | 45.0 | 34.0 | 81.3 | 2.0 | 5.6 | 7.6 | 5.3 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 13.4 |
| Total | 917 | 33 | 46.2 | 36.5 | 78.3 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 6.5 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 16.4 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
