Jrue Holiday of the Boston Celtics seems to be settling in his first year with the Eastern Conference favorites. The one-time champion has been a terrific fit for this current Celtics squad. The defensive-minded guard provides a much-needed intensity to this already stout Boston group. While his offensive numbers may be down a bit, one area he has seemed to thrive this year is in the rebounding department. So far this year, the two-time All-Star is averaging a career-high 7.4 total rebounds per game.
Jrue Holiday Averaging Career High in Total Rebounds Per Game in First Year With Boston Celtics
Boston Looking Like Serious Contenders
The Boston Celtics currently reside in first place in the entire league with a win-loss record of 14-4. Per FanDuel, they currently have the best odds to win the title at +370 odds. With talent such as Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and of course, Jrue Holiday, the organization is all in for a title this campaign. Not to mention, Al Horford still provides a nice veteran presence to the locker room. Boston currently ranks 14th in team field goal percentage at 47.2 percent, first in team defensive team rebounding per game at 36.8 per game, and eighth in opponent three-point field goal percentage at 35.0 percent.
On top of that, they also rank third in opponent field goal percentage allowing their opposition to only shoot 43.9 percent. The only two teams ahead of them in this statistical category are the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Clearly, the defensive impact for the team has been paying dividends and Jrue Holiday’s presence has had a positive impact for Boston this season. His defensive impact has been contagious and is spreading throughout the squad.
Could Jrue Holiday Be the Missing Piece for the Boston Celtics?
Jrue Holiday has been having another solid campaign. Not only is he tallying a career-high 7.4 total rebounds per game, he is also averaging 5.1 assists, 12.4 points per game, and an effective field goal percentage of 50.6 percent. On top of that, Holiday is also tallying a defensive rating of 109, the best in this category since the 2017-18 campaign when he was a member of the New Orleans Pelicans. Another career-best that Jrue Holiday is currently averaging is in total rebounding percent at 11.5 percent. He has never cracked double figures in this category before this season. It does not end there though for the five-time All-Defensive Team member. He is also averaging a career-best block percentage of 2.4 percent to couple with nearly one block per game.
Playing with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis this year has taken some pressure off of him and allowed him to thrive in the area that Holiday is best at, the defensive end of the floor. It is clearly reflecting in his solid rebounding for a point guard. If Jrue Holiday continues to play at this type of level, then this very well could be the year for the Boston Celtics. They are already favored by many to win the NBA In-Season Tournament, but it makes sense why they are also favored to take home the title this season.
