Jrue Holiday, a Boston Celtics guard, has only been with the team for a half-season. After the team acquired the former NBA champion in October, Holiday made it plain that he’d prefer to stay with the organization for a bit longer.
“I’d like to be here,” Holiday told MassLive. “I feel like I’m getting more and more comfortable, loving the guys, loving the organization and loving the city.”
Holiday has a player option worth $39.4 million for next season. However, it is normal for players to choose to sign a long-term contract over their options, as Kristaps Porzingis did when he was dealt to the Celtics last summer.
This season, Holiday has averaged 13.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. Furthermore, Holiday shoots 46.3% from the field. Thanks in part to Holiday’s performances, the 35-10 Boston Celtics presently have the best record in the NBA.
Although his offense has been beneficial to the Celtics, Holiday’s primary job is as a defensive specialist. More specifically, Holiday was supposed to replace Marcus Smart’s defense and grit. Holiday is perhaps the finest perimeter defender in the NBA, and his backcourt partnership with Derrick White has improved the Celtics’ overall defense. In an interview with J.J. Redick, White discussed the Celtics’ fit for the three-time NBA Teammate of the Year:
“When Smart was traded, it was shocking,” White remarked. “Then it was like, ‘Oh, there’ll be a lot more opportunities, and I’ll have to step up with the ball in my hand, compared to last year.'” When we brought Jrue along, everyone said, “We still need you to be aggressive and how we imagined it before we got Jrue.”
Currently, the Celtics have the NBA’s second-best defensive rating behind the Minnesota Timberwolves. Boston’s 6.4 blocks per game are also the league’s second highest, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder. Perhaps most significantly, the Celtics allow only 14 points per game via turnovers, which is tied with the Houston Rockets for the best in the NBA.
One thing to remember about the Celtics potentially extending Holiday is that conversations will have to wait:
According to the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Celtics must wait six months before signing Holiday to a contract deal, although they can extend him for up to four years.
Because the Celtics acquired Holiday in October, an extension cannot be legally signed until April. Holiday appears to be open to signing an extension throughout the season.
“My last extension was during the course of the year,” said Holiday, who signed with the Bucks in April 2021 (the season finished in mid-May). “I think that we can do both, talk about it and as well as prepare for games and prepare for what the future is.”
Another thing to consider is that the rest of Boston’s top six are all under contract for next season. However, White’s contract will expire in 2025. Although the Celtics may keep both guards, signing Holiday now provides long-term insurance.
Though he is already 33 years old, the Celtics’ second-oldest player after Al Horford, locking up Holiday for the long term is a no-brainer for Boston.
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