Boston Celtics
“Knowing Jaylen [Brown], feel like he takes a lot of things personally. He doesn’t accept a lot, especially when it comes to being bad.”
The Celtics had to part with plenty of talent this past offseason in order to alleviate themselves from some cap-related ramifications.
Beyond the pain of losing Jayson Tatum to a ruptured Achilles tendon, Brad Stevens and Boston’s top brass had to overhaul a roster that secured a sought-after 18th championship in June 2024.
Both Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday were traded away in an effort to cut salary, while Boston’s cap crunch also prevented them from retaining free agents like Al Horford and Luke Kornet.
Despite that talent train, the 2025-26 Celtics have punched above their weight in a season that was largely tossed aside as a “bridge year” with Tatum on the shelf.
Entering Monday’s game against the Trail Blazers, Boston was second in the Eastern Conference with a 28-17 record.
For Holiday — now serving as a veteran leader on a retooling Portland roster — it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that his former team hasn’t taken a step back despite their overhauled roster.
“I knew that they’d be well, they’d do well, knowing the type of determination that this coaching staff and organization has,” Holiday said ahead of his first game back at TD Garden since his trade out west. “Being with this team for a couple of years now and knowing the type of players that they are and how to prepare, I figured that they would be good.
“And then obviously, knowing Jaylen [Brown], feel like he takes a lot of things personally. He doesn’t accept a lot, especially when it comes to being bad.”
The Celtics have rallied around Brown this season, with the star wing taking over as the team’s go-to scoring option. The 29-year-old Brown is averaging a career-high 29.8 points per game this season with Tatum sidelined — with that scoring output good for fourth in the NBA this season.
“Losing,” Holiday declared when asked what Brown has taken personally this season. “I think people counted them out as a team. Not just Jaylen. I know Payton [Pritchard], Sam [Hauser], Neemi [Queta], Joe [Mazzulla], the whole coaching staff — I feel like when people say that they can’t do something, they prove them wrong.”
Holiday’s baseline stats during his two seasons in Boston may not leap off the page (11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists per game). But, the 35-year-old guard thrived as a calming presence in Boston’s backcourt and defensive equalizer who became a key resource for Mazzulla.
“The biggest thing that stands out is who he is as a person,” Mazzulla said of Holiday pregame. “You take a look at a guy who was a champion and an All-Star, and he comes in and accepts a completely different role and does it with a smile on his face, and does it with a level of respect and professionalism and is willing to do what it takes to win every night. … It was great having him for the time that we did.”
Holiday — who is now averaging 15.4 points and 7.1 assists over 18 games this season with the Trail Blazers — received a video tribute from TD Garden during Monday’s game.
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