BOSTON – As soon as Jrue Holiday arrived in Boston in early October, he knew it was a place where he wanted to remain long-term. It was a mutual feeling between him and the Celtics, and so when it came time to consider a contract extension, the decision was a no-brainer for both parties.
Holiday officially signed a new deal with the team Thursday afternoon, solidifying his commitment to the C’s and their commitment to him.
“Since I came here, the situation here, it’s only been love,” Holiday said following Thursday’s shootaround at Auerbach Center. “The city of Boston, not only them but the organization, made it super easy for [our family] to have to navigate and get through a time that was a bit stressful for us, so just an appreciation for them. We love the city, we love this organization, the players in it, and what they stand for, and we’re doing our best to get another banner.”
Winning is all that Holiday cares about at this point in his career, and he believes being with the Celtics gives him the best opportunity to do so. If his first regular season with the team serves as any indication, his intuition appears to be spot on.
“Once I got here, or even once I knew I was getting traded here, this was a part of what I wanted, what I envisioned,” Holiday said of his 62-win squad. “Being in a great organization, being here for a lengthy amount of time, and being able to play alongside guys like [Jayson Tatum] and [Jaylen Brown] and really trying to get more banners.”
In his first season with the team, Holiday has averaged 12.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game while shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 43.1 percent from 3-point range. His scoring and assists are down from when he was a Milwaukee Buck, but his rebounds and 3-point percentage are both career-high marks.
Those changes show how much Holiday has been willing to adjust to what the team needs him to do on any given night, and he’s embraced playing a jack-of-all-trades role. Plus, the five-time All-Defense selectee continues to be one of the premier perimeter defenders in the league.
“I’m really just being me,” he said. “Being whatever the team needs. There’s going to be days where I’m scoring a lot, but there’s going to be days where I’m going to have to defend and get steals – or I guess that’s every day – but there might be days where I’m just shooting corner 3s. And I feel like whatever fit that I [have] during that game or during that time, during that moment, I’m here for that.”
On top of that, Holiday believes that Joe Mazzulla has helped him develop in new ways – even at the age of 33.
“Joe has definitely grown my game, grown kind've my vision and perspective of basketball,” Holiday said. “Every year, I do plan to grow, but I think (him) being able to give me a different responsibility to look at the game differently – especially with the players and the people that we have, I've never been on a team like this. So it’s been fun just to get to know Joe and just his craziness in his schemes, but at the same time, really see our team put it together.”
In the end, Holiday hopes it all comes together in the form of a championship run – and not just one.
“I want to be here,” he affirmed. “I want to win multiple rings. I’ve heard people say that here plenty of times, so I’m ready for that.”