For a beginner, the game of chess can seem a bit overwhelming. There are a great deal of rules and strategies that can’t be learned in just one sitting. When you break it down to its core though, success on a chessboard doesn’t look too different than it does on a basketball court.
You have varying degrees of role players, and versatile stars. Every piece has a specific job to do, but there are those that bring value in different ways. The pawn, for example, is like the Stay-Ready group. Their role is well-defined and they don’t stray too far from it. In specific pockets of the game though, they are exactly what’s needed to swing the moment in the right direction.
The pawn also has a very unique and special advantage. On the rare occasion that it crosses over to the other side of the board, it triggers what is known as a pawn promotion. This allows it to be converted into any other piece, except for a king.
That’s a pretty impressive ability, but what if this was something that could be activated at any moment, rather than on rare occasions? The Boston Celtics gave us that answer the moment they traded for Jrue Holiday.
Jrue alternates between countless responsibilities in the blink of an eye. Despite being listed as the Celtics starting point guard, he often blurs the lines between traditional basketball positions. The term “Point-Center” has been adopted to describe a big man like Nikola Jokic that is tasked with initiating the offense. Holiday is a point-center in his own right, but for a different reason.
One of his biggest strengths on the court is just that, strength. Jrue has good size, but it is his power that sets him apart. Boston will clear a side for him to back his defender down, and most guards simply can’t handle the physicality. This becomes especially useful in a playoff series where the game slows down, and individual matchups are hunted.
After beating up on his matchup enough, Holiday can switch right back into point guard mode functioning as a post-playmaker. Teams are forced to worry about his back-to-the-basket game, which draws attention away from his teammates for a split second, and that’s all the Celtics need.
Usually, a player would get a qualifier like “he’s strong for a guard,” but Jrue’s strength isn’t just for guards. He’s comfortable playing through the chest of a wing or a center as if they were the same size. Holiday is in the trenches here fighting for an offensive rebound, then decides he’s playing bully-ball vs. Evan Mobley before finishing the possession with a hook shot.
In the following quarter, Holiday is matched up with Mobley again. Most guards with a switch want to pull the ball back out, or attempt to blow past the big. Instead of trying to beat him with quickness, Jrue gets right into Mobley’s body and carves out a lane directly to the hoop without being knocked off his path.
If that wasn’t enough, roughly 30 seconds later, Holiday comes from under the basket to snag a rebound right over Mobley. The contrast here is funny because as Jrue assumes the duties of a traditional center, Al Horford is posted at the three-point line emphatically calling for the ball.
Jrue is comfortable among the trees. Mobley may not be the most physical center in the league, but he is an athletic 7-footer with long arms. Holiday neutralizes any height differential with great instincts and lightning-fast reaction time.
Mobley wasn’t the only Cavalier that struggled with Holiday’s forcefulness. Fast forward another 30 seconds and Jrue hits Caris LeVert with an up & under that would draw a tear from Kevin McHale’s eyes.
It’s this combination of brawn and fluidity that makes Jrue a rare archetype. Point guards usually aren’t this masterful in the low post while also being an effective scorer off the dribble.
Another distinct aspect of point-center Holiday is that he is a very solid screener. He’s capable of setting brick walls that knock players out of the picture, but he also has finesse and understanding of when to slip instead. This allows him to do cool things like initiate the offense through dribble-handoffs, and make plays on the roll.
Jrue pushes versatility to the highest level. He is just as effective with the ball as he is without it. When it’s not his turn to initiate, he is constantly moving, looking for openings to make himself available to teammates.
In the closing minutes of the Cavs series, Jrue shut the door by floating around in the dunker spot. The massive benefit here is that Boston can bring less impactful defenders like Darius Garland and Max Strus into a position where they are forced to protect the rim.
This was an important trend in the NBA Finals against Dallas as well. It served as a perfect complement to the Celtics overall goal of limiting the impact of the Mavericks rim protection. On possessions where the bigs were parked in the paint, Jrue’s presence was essential, giving his teammates a safety net as they attacked the rim.
Holiday somehow manages to mix together the skill set of both a traditional and modern big man, with the ability to play out of the post and from the perimeter. He’s adept at running the pick & roll as either the ball handler or the screener. He can bully players of all sizes, or burn them with grace.
Any role that is needed, Jrue won’t just fill it, he will excel in it. He is capable of shapeshifting to fit into any lineup or team composition. With the advantages of a smaller creation burden in Boston, he’s had the opportunity to show the world what true offensive versatility looks like.
Jrue Holiday is the pawn that has reached the other side.
