Jrue Holiday in the 2021 playoffs (won championship with MIL):
17.3 PPG
5.7 RPG
8.7 APG
2.1 STL + BLK
Jrue Holiday in the 2024 playoffs (won championship with BOS):
13.2 PPG
6.1 RPG
4.4 APG
50/40/96 (!!)
Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but I think the idea that the Celtics are suddenly far removed from championship contention is overstated.
They still have one of the league’s premier organizations, led by a Coach of the Year and an Executive of the Year.
They’ll enter the season with a healthy Jayson Tatum, alongside Finals MVP Jaylen Brown as the foundation of the roster.
Anyone who follows the league closely understands that Boston’s biggest challenge over the last year has been financial, not basketball.
The Celtics have been navigating the restrictive realities of the NBA’s tax and second-apron rules, and the priority has been getting through this period without compromising their longterm flexibility. If they can stay under the apron for one more season, much of that financial pressure resets.
That’s why I wouldn’t be surprised if, around this time next year, Boston is back in aggressive win-now mode.
The organization has already shown a willingness to make bold, franchise-altering moves…as evidenced by the acquisitions of KP and Jrue Holiday.
Once the financial situations reset, the Celtics could very well position themselves to make another significant push and reestablish themselves among the league’s top championship favorites.
Don’t panic.
The NBA created a 65 game minimum for postseason awards, then turned around and bent the rules for Luka and Cade so they could both make 1st Team All-NBA.
If the league isn’t going to enforce its own standards, then get rid of the rule altogether.
As a Celtics fan, watching Jaylen Brown lose out on 1st Team because the NBA moved the goalposts is ridiculous.