Zach Lowe had some surprising remarks about the Boston Celtics’ marquee offseason addition, Jrue Holiday, during his “Lowe Post” podcast on October 11 — claiming that the guard isn’t a true floor general while discussing the Holiday-Jaylen Brown backcourt pairing Joe Mazulla could deploy while Jayson Tatum is on the bench during the 2023-24 season.
“I think they like the look and feel of having two All-Star perimeter ball handlers,” Lowe said of playing Brown and Holiday together while Tatum rests (h/t MassLive). “Neither of them a point guard by any means, one of them with sometimes the yips with the dribble, that’s Jaylen Brown. Both All-Star, All-NBA level players…let’s see if they can prop up the offense along with Porzingis and good spacing. They are going to close games with Jrue Holiday on the floor. I think (bringing him off the bench) has some legs.”
This comment by Lowe should be seen as a positive for several of the team’s other talents even if it sounds like a negative for Holiday.
Boston Celtics can rely on Derrick White and Payton Pritchard as primary facilitators
Watching Mazzulla trot out a starting five that would’ve been on the floor had the Boston Celtics never traded for Holiday was a confirmation that his plans to give Derrick White the keys to that group as the starting point guard were not altered. And if Holiday isn’t the backup point guard either, then Payton Pritchard must be; an idea likely supported by Celtics fans due to his preseason heroism through the first three games of the exhibition slate.
Holiday will play a key role for the Cs, but it is somewhat jarring to see him come off the bench coming off an All-Defensive First Team campaign. If he buys into his role off-ball, though, and White and Pritchard progress as offensive initiators, Boston may be better off than they’ve been since the Big Three era. And dare I say Year 1 of it?