Boston Celtics playoff legend beyond bullish on marquee offseason addition

Boston Celtics playoff legend Rajon Rondo is beyond bullish on the marquee offseason addition of Jrue Holiday — a bit of a postseason legend himself having locked down Damian Lillard back in 2018 as part of the deepest playoff run in New Orleans franchise history regardless of the mascot –, revealing as much on October 20.

“I love the Jrue Holiday pick-up,” Rondo said (h/t MassLive). “He’s one of my favorite teammates I’ve ever played with all-time and I’m excited for you guys to see what he can bring night in, night out. Just his mentality, his mindset, his professional approach to the game, and just what he brings out there on the court. He does a lot of intangibles, he’s a very unselfish guy, and he’s fun to be around. But he’s a winner. He’s a competitor.”

As MassLive’s Brian Robb points out, Rondo won’t be a “fixture” for the coaching staff but will be available for the Celtics should they need him during the 2023-24 season.

Jrue Holiday ‘will likely’ start for the Boston Celtics alongside Derrick White

All offseason, there was a question as to whether or not Holiday would be a potential Sixth Man of the Year Award dark horse, but Robb revealed that the newest addition to Boston’s backcourt will start alongside Derrick White; pushing Al Horford to the second unit.

“Holiday will likely slide into a starting role next to Derrick White this season for Boston,” Robb reported.

Perhaps part of what earned Holiday the starting nod was his attitude toward accepting a bench role if need be.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” Holiday said to CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning about potentially having to take a second unit spot. “I like winning. Winning is really important. Playing and being on the court is important. Supporting my teammates is important. it’s not always how you start, it’s how you finish.”

Holiday is a certified winner, as the noted winner and his former teammate in NOLA Rondo can attest to, and having a teammate like that only helps a Celtics team that has been so close to raising Banner 18 in recent seasons.