NBA Insider Believes Surprising Celtics Guard Could Decide Team’s Title Defense

The Boston Celtics are coming off an NBA championship last season, and looking to repeat this year. They enter the NBA playoffs as a clear contender and the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

They have a well-balanced roster, with two superstars leading away, and multiple good role players to support them.

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While each of those players is key to the Celtics' success in their own ways, one NBA insider believes that Jrue Holiday specifically is the x-factor for the team’s success in this year’s playoffs.

Zach Kram of ESPN describes Holiday’s importance to the team in his article ‘NBA playoff make-or-break players: 13 who could swing the first round.’

“Holiday missed four consecutive games, beginning at the end of February, because of a pinkie injury. At the time, Holiday had made just 34% of his 3-point attempts on the season. But the time off helped Holiday reset, and he shot 39% from distance after his return to the court.

That's a big deal for the Celtics, as their opponents tend to leave Holiday open to focus on his more dangerous teammates. Holiday's 3-pointers this season came with an average of 7.3 feet of separation from the closest defender, per GeniusIQ tracking. Al Horford (8.2 feet) is the only other Celtics shooter who commands less defensive respect on the perimeter.

Holiday's backcourt partnership with Derrick White has been an invaluable component of Boston's dominance the past two seasons, particularly on defense. But he needs to hold his own on offense, too, and make opponents pay for leaving him open -- just like he did last postseason when he nailed 40% of his 3s en route to a title.”

The main reason the Celtics have been so successful over the past two seasons is the fact their team has no significant weak points to attack. On offense, everyone is a threat on the perimeter, which maximizes spacing and allows for dangerous ball movement.

Holiday is one of the best defenders on the team, but also needs to hit his three-point shots to avoid becoming a weak point on offense. That especially applies to the gauntlet of defensive teams the Celtics could face throughout the playoffs, such as the Orlando Magic, the New York Knicks, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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Obviously Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are the primary players who need to play well, but they will draw a lot of attention and will need the help of others to maximize the team’s success. Jrue Holiday is someone who plays an important role on the team and needs to play his role at a high level for the team to succeed in tougher games.

At 34 years old, Holiday is still playing at a high level, but if the Celtics want to repeat as champions, he needs to keep playing at a high level more consistently and try to recreate his level of play from last postseason.

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For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visitBoston Celtics on SI.