Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. If nothing else, that's exactly how you would want a championship caliber team to operate. But at the end of the day, the ultimate cost is lower, and allows the Celtics more flexible as they compete for a title. So yes, $135 million for a player in his mid-30's is on the surface a lot.

The Celtics are certainly committed to winning, seen by the extension they gave to Brown, which is estimated to cost them $286 million over the next five years. If the presence of Holiday brings them closer to a championship, they'll be fine paying him into his late 30's. It also helps that the NBA is likely to sign a new TV deal, which could force the salary cap to increase by 10% every single year, further lowering Holiday's cap hit from a percentage perspective.įinally, even if that extension is expensive, Boston's logic is simple. One thing is certain for two teams that have already met three times this season (two preseason, one regular season) and could see each other 10 more times if they meet in another seven-game playoff series: The chess match is just beginning.īut Holiday is an intriguing new piece on the chessboard.Theoretically, Holiday could see his offensive role diminish even further down the line, which would allow him to fully transform into a 3&D point guard, which should make him more durable, thus making sure the Celtics get the best bang for the buck on his deal. The Celtics might elect to flip the script the next time out and ask Holiday to focus all his energy on Maxey. The small glimpse on Wednesday again highlights the luxury of adding someone like Holiday with his All-Defense pedigree. Then again, the 76ers will likely be better prepared to exploit that matchup. It feels inevitable that the Celtics will ponder a backup big addition during the 2023-24 season, and maybe that will add another wrinkle to how they defend Embiid.īut the Celtics should feel good about the ability to utilize Holiday as part of the Embiid game plan. It was Tyrese Maxey who controlled the game and routinely scorched Boston, even if it took 27 shots to get his 25 points.

Embiid finished with 27 points on 10-of-20 shooting but had six turnovers. The Celtics must get creative to help cover the minutes that starting center Kristaps Porzingis shares the floor with Embiid because there are no other bigs beyond Horford the team can confidently ask to joust with Embiid.Ĭeltics-76ers takeaways: Embiid outplays the Jays as C's lose second straight This is where the absence of another bruiser-type big off the bench hurts Boston. Still, it’s hard to ask Horford to hold that fort at age 37. Horford did a decent job on Embiid - one stumbling third-quarter closeout aside - but Philly’s big man hit some tough shots, even when Boston sent doubles to crowd him around the paint. Horford logged a similar workload as Holiday against Embiid on Wednesday night and allowed 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting. The Celtics have had the luxury of asking Al Horford to be the primary defender but his shift to a reserve role this season adds a layer of difficulty to matching the Embiid minutes. Marcus Smart routinely took turns against Embiid in previous seasons, though the Celtics also liked to have Smart blitz Embiid as a help defender in doubling situations.īoston needs to get creative with Embiid. The Celtics are not unfamiliar with the idea of dispatching a guard to help on Embiid. Jrue Holiday offense ✅ /XVgKsaHWlH- Celtics on NBC Sports Boston November 9, 2023

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