Jrue Holiday opens up on Bucks trade to Celtics: ‘I can’t be mad at that’
The biggest trade this last NBA offseason was the Portland Trail Blazers trading Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks, three months after requesting a trade from the franchise he spent his first 11 seasons with.
The biggest name sent back to Portland in the trade was Jrue Holiday, who was traded mere days later to the Boston Celtics for Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams and draft capital.
The Celtics, who own the NBA’s best record at 11-3, and the Milwaukee Bucks, who have won eight of their last 10, battle for the first time this season Wednesday night. Thus, it’s the first time that Holiday’s faced his old team, who he spent three years with–and helped clinch their first title in a half-century in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.
“I think they got what they wanted, so I can’t be mad at that,” Holiday said this week. “A warning would have been cool, but other than that, I’m in the best place that I can be to compete against them. Which, for the top team in the east, hopefully top team in the league.”
Even though it was not a direct swap, Holiday’s addition was much needed after it traded away its heart and soul in Marcus Smart for Kristaps Porzingis.
It hasn’t been the cleanest start for Holiday. His efficiency early on has been poor, and his on-off numbers–Boston’s 3.3 points worse per 100 possessions–aren’t detrimental, but could be better (it’s also reflective of how loaded Boston’s top talent is when he’s not on the floor).
Its starting lineup of Holiday-Derrick White–Jaylen Brown–Jayson Tatum–Kristaps Porzingis owns the NBA’s second-best NET Rating (+29.3, 96th percentile), according to Cleaning The Glass. Even at his worst, Boston’s still improved with Holiday and Porzingis with Al Horford, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser flanking the aforementioned quartet.
The 33-year-old is averaging 12.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists on 43.5 percent shooting and 34.9 percent from 3-point range entering Wednesday. He could also be set up for a big revenge game against Milwaukee, whose defense ranks No. 23 leaguewide, despite placing in the middle-of-the-pack defensively over this recent 10-game stretch.
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