The Celtics will boast one of the best defensive backcourts in the NBA this upcoming campaign after trading in for Jrue Holiday, who is already linking up with Derrick White this preaseason. Not only were both guards selected to the All-Defensive teams last spring, but were also able to contribute heavily to their team’s offensive duties.
When asked about building up Boston‘s dominant defense ahead of opening night, Holiday admitted to be enjoying every minute of it.
“It’s fun,” the former Bucks player said. “I think the chemistry is there. Even just the first few days of training camp talking to him about what he likes to do defensively, or even just asking him about certain things. But getting out there and actually being able to play with him a bit more, getting that court time has been good for us.”
Derrick White and Jrue Holiday backcourt, unreal defensively pic.twitter.com/W8BQsdzhPH
— Celtics Junkies (@Celtics_Junkies) October 18, 2023
Both stars have already paired up in the last two preseason matches, and coach Joe Mazzulla believes they can not only coexist on court, but complement each other. When Holiday and White have started in the backcourt for the Celtics, they’ve combined for 41 points and 11 assists.
“I was excited,” the 29-year-old said about playing with his new teammate. “I’ve only heard great things about him from everyone that knows him and talks about him. Can’t be upset about it.”
After two starts alongside the Celtics veteran, Holiday dropped in 64.3% of his field goal attempts and later hit two out of his five three-pointers. White, on the other hand, connected an impressive 50% of his total shots.
The former champion with Milwaukee said that the process has been exciting, and already recognizes the greatness inside the Celtics roster.
“It’s been fun,” he said of practices. “We are pretty guard-heavy. A lot of defensive guys and offensive guys. But you see the top dogs going at it, Jaylen and JT going at it. Then you might see Payton (Pritchard) and JB going at it, you’ll see D-White and me going at it.”
Holiday explained why he doesn’t care too much about starting in the lineup, because he believes winning is more important and trusts his coach’s decisions
Coming into this star-packed squad in Boston, the veteran guard understands that he might not get to play as much as he did back in Milwaukee. However, Holiday doesn’t have a problem with not starting every game, as he just wants to do whatever is necessary to earn victories.
“It’s not that big of a deal,” he said of starting. “I like winning. Winning is really important. Playing good on the court is important. Supporting my teammates is important. So it’s not always how you start, it’s how you finish.”
As for his coach, Mazzulla believes the roster has enough depth to be able to try pairing different players and construct whatever strategy is need up ahead.
“The good thing about our guys is they’re relatively flexible in their sub patterns,” the trainer explained. “We’ve changed both Tatum and Brown and Al at different points. So I think it’s a little bit matchup based, and at the same time, how can we create advantages and how can we get guys on the floor that play together really well? So it’s a little bit of a balance of both, but we don’t have anything set in stone right now.”
