It might have taken ESPN a while to get around to grading the trade that the Boston Celtics made to land veteran point guard Jrue Holiday, but the Celtics got high marks from the Connecticut-based sports news network for the bold swap just the same.
The Celtics’ last and perhaps biggest move of the offseason got a closer look along with the Milwaukee Bucks‘ trade with the Portland Trail Blazers for star point guard Damian Lillard and the move that was the impetus for an in-depth analysis, the trade of former All-Star guard James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Let’s take a look at their views on the Jrue Holiday trade.
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“Holiday is an ideal fit alongside Boston’s core players, supplying the organizing ability the Celtics hoped they would get when they added Brogdon last summer without compromising either their outside shooting or their defense,” writes ESPN.
The UCLA alum “is an upgrade offensively over Marcus Smart — sent by Boston to the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this offseason (…) — and little, if any, defensive downgrade from the 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year.”
Did the Celtics get the best-ever version of Kyrie Irving? https://t.co/tGDesXRsIY pic.twitter.com/CBwwS76vAB
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) November 1, 2023
“With Holiday, the Celtics could have the NBA’s best six-player core,” suggests ESPN of Boston’s post-trade roster.
“Coach Joe Mazzulla can still toggle back and forth between smaller lineups with Holiday and Derrick White together in the backcourt and Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum at forward and bigger units that put both Al Horford and newcomer Kristaps Porzingis in the frontcourt together, shifting Brown and Tatum to the wing at the likely expense of White.”
“The smaller group in particular gives opposing offenses no place to attack, a hallmark of the defense that has helped Boston to the Eastern Conference finals three of the last four years,” they add.
Al Horford addresses his new role off the Celtics bench https://t.co/Ho9HQIAqys pic.twitter.com/zidILr5yG3
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 31, 2023
“The hope, too, is the Celtics upgrading their shooting with Holiday … and Porzingis can get them over the top offensively to win a title,” writes ESPN. “Just how much Holiday minimizes offensive miscues will also be key.
“He’s averaged more turnovers than Smart, including 2.9 per game last season, (Smart was at 2.3 in similar playing time) but that was with more ball-handling responsibility (…).”
Has Oshae Brissett earned a bench role with the Boston Celtics? https://t.co/V4G575XhQg pic.twitter.com/mXvRBVNu6X
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 31, 2023
“Beyond those top six, however, the Celtics’ depth now looks shaky after they gave up two rotation players for Holiday,” relates ESPN. “They return just one other player who saw more than 60 minutes of action in last year’s playoffs, forward Sam Hauser.”
“The in-house options to fill out the rotation are holdover Payton Pritchard and newcomers Oshae Brissett and Svi Mykhailiuk. And center depth goes from a strength with Horford, Porzingis, and Williams to a weakness (…).”
Boston's Jaylen Brown says it's 'tough being talented because it invites laziness' https://t.co/STuAWjZ0JD pic.twitter.com/POmAIiY9Wi
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 31, 2023
“Between now and that unknown date, Boston is hoping to add an 18th championship banner,” continues ESPN. “With the addition of Holiday, I again see the Celtics as the favorites to win the East — and perhaps even the title (…).”
The Bucks surely hoped Holiday would end up in the Western Conference. Instead, he’s headed to their biggest rival on paper in the East. The rematch of the thrilling, seven-game Boston-Milwaukee series we saw in the 2022 conference semifinals never materialized last spring (…). If we get Boston-Milwaukee round two, the drama, now, will be greater than ever.”
Final Grade: B+
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— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 31, 2023
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