After three seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, including a championship run in 2021, Jrue Holiday was traded from the team in a blockbuster deal that landed Damian Lillard. Now, several weeks into his first season in Boston, Holiday is finally speaking out on being traded by his former club. While he notes that a warning would have been appreciated, Holiday denied the idea that he has any ill feelings about how things played out.
“No,” Holiday said. “I think that they got what they wanted, so I can’t be mad at that. A warning would’ve been cool. But other than that, I’m in the best place that I can be to compete against them, which is for the top team in the East and, hopefully, the top team in the league.”
As a 2x All-Star, Jrue was a major piece of the Bucks and he was one of Giannis’ best teammates during his time there. But you can’t blame Milwaukee for going all-in on Damian Lillard, who is proving this season why he’s (deservedly) one of the NBA’s highest-paid players. But for Holiday, he’s content with the way things turned out, given his role on a title-contending Celtics team.
The Bucks Miss Jrue
Lillard has been fine enough this season and the Bucks are playing good basketball with a 10-4 record through 14 games. But the Bucks also rank in the bottom 10 in the league defensively and it’s been a major problem for them this season. As Dame has struggled to adjust to his new reality alongside Giannis, the Bucks have struggled to hold it together defensively, with the players basically staging a mutiny to force a return to drop coverage on defense.
Over the past few games, the Bucks have started to make some progress in this area but there are still concerns about how they stack up compared to other eastern teams. For now, at 10-4, the Bucks are feeling pretty good about where they stand but teams across the league will be watching their backcourt defense this year in hopes of exposing the gaps left behind by Jrue Holiday’s departure.
Celtics Are The Team To Beat In The East
If there’s any team equipped to take down the Bucks this year, it’s the Boston Celtics. At 11-3 on the season, they’ve been scorching hot in the opening few weeks thanks to big performances from Jayson Tatum and new signee Kristaps Porzingis. With a five-out offense, the Celtics have an abundance of shooting on the roster and they make teams pay with their size, length, and explosive scoring offense.
Obviously, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are the focal points of the group, but Jrue Holiday gives them a solid two-way option in the backcourt. In 14 games so far, Holiday is averaging 12.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game on 43% shooting. His perimeter defense is arguably the most important aspect of his game, as it gives Boston a counter against the best guards in the NBA. While it’s too early to say for certain, this situation with the Cs could be a turning point for Holiday’s career, which is already impressive in year 15.
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