According to Boston Celtics PR, Jrue Holiday is AVAILABLE to play in Game 1 of their second-round series against the New York Knicks. Boston's injury report is clean heading into the series, meaning Jaylen Brown is also no longer listed on the report. He's been dealing with a knee issue for the last couple of months.
Holiday missed the final three games of Boston's first-round series against the Orlando Magic due to a right hamstring strain but will make his return to action against the Knicks. Meanwhile, the Knicks also don't have any players listed on their injury report heading into Game 1.
Both teams will be fully healthy for the start of the series.
Why will Jrue Holiday be important vs. Knicks?
Holiday's importance will be emphasized even more than normal against the Knicks, especially on the defensive end of the floor. He was the Celtics' primary defensive stopper against Jalen Brunson, and he has also spent a ton of time guarding Karl-Anthony Towns.
Having an extra body to throw at Towns to give him a different look gives Boston's defense a huge advantage, as they will have multiple sets to show New York throughout the series on that end of the floor.
In addition to his defensive prowess, Holiday also proved to be a near-irreplaceable offensive figure against the Magic. His playmaking was essential to the Celtics' Jayson Tatum-less win in Game 2.
How is Jaylen Brown's knee doing?
Brown's lingering knee issue has been hampering him since February. He received an injection to help the injury prior to the start of the playoffs, and on Saturday afternoon, he provided an update regarding the status of the ailment.
“Taking it one day at a time, but I think so,” Brown said when asked about him trending toward being 100% healthy. “I think I'm starting to turn the curve. I think, structurally, everything is fine. I've had some other stuff going on, but I think I'm kind of trending in the right direction.”
How healthy is the rest of the Celtics lineup?
Jayson Tatum was injured in the last series after taking a hard fall in Game 1 vs. the Magic. Since missing Game 2, the first missed playoff game of his career, Tatum has looked incredible, so any sort of worries the issue is bothering his play should be out the window.
The only other player who has had lingering injury concerns during the playoffs is Kristaps Porzingis, but outside of some stitches in his face, he's good to go.