On the world champion Celtics, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, and Jayson Tatum are stars. After a Finals run and on Team USA, they’ve taken on role player roles. From Tatum sitting out a group play contest to White being the glue between Red and Blue, Boston’s trio have taken a backseat in their quest for gold.
In their 122-87 quarterfinal win over Brazil, it was the elder statemen that showed out. LeBron James had 12 points and nine assists before leavin the game in the third quarter with a cut over his eye. Joel Embiid (with an old man’s game) did damage with 14 points and seven rebounds. Kevin Durant became the all-time Team USA leading scorer with 11.
The Celtics found ways to chip in, too.
USA defeats Brazil 122-87:
Jrue Holiday: 9 points, 3 assists, 2 blocks in 17 mins
Jayson Tatum: 5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal in 20 mins
Derrick White: 5 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks in 18 mins— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) August 6, 2024
Holiday got the start after missing the last game with a sprained ankle and finished a whopping +21 in under seventeen minutes of play. His backcourt partner in White had nearly half a triple double with 5-4-4. The numbers don’t exactly stick out, but their intangibles on defense do.
In head coach Steve Kerr’s drop defense, it’s important for the guards to be able to fight over screens and recover to the ball. Of Team USA’s seven blocks, the Celtics contributed five with White and Holiday swatting two a piece and Tatum rejecting another.
Tatum scored five points as the 11th man off the bench, including this alley oop from James:
He also unveiled these new signature shoes:
The Americans will now face Nikola Jokic and Serbia in the semis. France and Germany are on the other side of the medal round bracket.
