Jaylen Brown praises Jrue Holiday’s leadership after momentary lapse vs. Heat: ‘He was right’

It’s not very often that Jrue Holiday is animated on the basketball court, and it’s even more unusual that the emotion comes at the expense of his teammates. 

But, in Sunday’s win against the Heat, Holiday took a moment to call out his teammates after Jaime Jaquez sailed coast-to-coast for a layup early in the third quarter. He clapped at the other Celtics players who failed to run back on defense, visibly frustrated. 

Jaquez’s layup capped a 7-0 Miami run that cut a 19-point Celtics lead to 12. It was the second time on Sunday afternoon that Jaquez – who finished the night with 16 points on 8-16 shooting –  was able to go full-court for a driving layup with little resistance from the Celtics defense. 

So, very briefly, Holiday urged his teammates to refocus – and they responded. The Celtics subsequently went on a 23-3 run – extending their lead to 32 – and put the game out of reach. 

“His leadership in that particular moment was needed, and we’re going to need even more of that for however long we’re in this,” Mazzulla said at practice on Tuesday. “His leadership, vocally, and just the way he plays, is super important for us.”

All season long, Jrue Holiday played a critical role in the locker room and within the defensive system, in particular. So, calling out his teammates when focus was waning is something Mazzula was happy to see him do.

“He’s got free rein to do that because of his experience and who he is as a player,” Mazzulla said. 

Jaylen Brown echoed Mazzulla’s sentiment, and noted that a willingness to give and accept criticism has been a central component of the Celtics’ culture this season. 

“We all have that accountability where if you make a mistake,  our guys can speak to each other that way, and it not be derogatory or negative,” Brown said. “We just take it – we accept it and improve on it. It’s good talk, because he was right at that moment. We gotta get back. We can’t let stuff like that happen.”

There’s perhaps no better messenger on the roster than Jrue Holiday – the only player on the Celtics with an NBA championship under his belt. His teammates have long respected that pedigree and his status as one of the league’s premier guard defenders. In the playoffs, in particular, a vocal leadership role will remain important. 

“Jrue, you see in his eyes around this time of year – he turns it to a different level,” Brown said. “He ramps up his competitiveness. His attention to detail, and his focus is extremely high.”