Jrue Holiday spoke to reporters Wednesday following the series of trades that resulted in him going from the Bucks to the Blazers before ultimately landing with the Celtics.
Ahead of his first season in Boston, Holiday addressed his whirlwind of an offseason. The 33-year-old said that while it was difficult to leave Milwaukee, where he spent the past three seasons, he was excited to land with NBA Finals contenders such as the Celtics.
“I feel like coming here is definitely my best chance of winning and being able to help the guys here that have made big moves and done big things in this league,” said Holiday, via NBC Sports Boston. “I’m here to just help step up that game and become a champion.”
"I feel like coming here is definitely my best chance of winning."
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) October 4, 2023
Jrue Holiday discusses 'whirlwind' of landing in Boston ☘️#BleedGreen @Celtics pic.twitter.com/IP7vQhuxEW
The 14-year veteran also spoke on fans in Boston, who he described as being “a bit crazy.”
"They’re a bit crazy. Not gonna lie to you, they get rowdy. They get in your face... I love the aggression, I love the environment. I think they care about hard work on defense and getting loose balls and stuff like that over maybe windmill dunks and things of that nature,” said Holiday.
"The fans are literally insane and I'm proud to be a part of that."
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) October 4, 2023
Jrue Holiday talks Celtics fans ☘️ … we'll take that as a compliment Jrue 🤣🤣🤣 #BleedGreen pic.twitter.com/me4IxrayN5
Holiday won a ring with the Bucks in 2021, and he’ll now look to lend some of his experience to a Celtics team that has fallen short of that goal over the past few seasons.
Last season, Holiday averaged 19.3 points, 7.4 assists and 5.1 rebounds while shooting at a 38.4% clip from three-point range. He was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team, the fifth All-Defensive selection of his career.
