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Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday has not played since suffering an injury on March 16 against the Washington Wizards.
The Celtics confirmed via their Official X account that Holiday would miss their game against the Chicago Bulls on March 23. Holiday’s unavailability would be a concern, but before the Celtics played the Bulls, videos emerged showing Holiday putting shots up by Sean Grande and the Celtics on NBC Sports Boston‘s X accounts.
Holiday practicing is encouraging because it indicates that he is on the up and up health-wise. This is the first time there’s been any footage of him putting shots up since suffering the injury.
The Celtics have managed fine without him, having won every single game since he got hurt. However, with the NBA Playoffs around the corner, they will need a clean slate of health as a team.
Holiday taking some jumpshots after missing the last several games is a good sign he should be good to go.
Jrue Holiday Dealing With ‘Dead Arm’
With Holiday having missed the last several Celtics games, The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach confirmed what he had been dealing with. Himmelsbach added that Holiday missing games was not out of precaution.
“Jrue Holiday said his absence is about more than simply being cautious. The point guard missed his third consecutive game Friday due to a sprained right shoulder joint he says he suffered when he was hit on a screen during the win over the Wizards on Sunday, and he told the Globe he has been experiencing ‘dead arm,'” Himmelsbach wrote in a March 22 story.
Holiday told Himmelsbach that he’s “feeling something, for sure.” He also explained to Himmelsbach why he wants to play despite dealing with his injury.
“I still want to play,” Holiday said. “That’s part of the reason I play basketball. But it’s also keeping rhythm. Sometimes, when you’re out for a long time, you break rhythm, but I feel like I’ve been in a good groove, and I want to continue to play.”
Holiday has played 61 games overall this season. With 11 games left in the 2023-24 season, he still has a chance to eclipse 70 games, something he hasn’t done since the 2017-18 season.
Celtics’ Main Priority Should Be to Keep Jrue Holiday: Analyst
Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale explained why the Celtics’ primary focus should be keeping Holiday past 2024.
“The Celtics should be uniquely motivated to get an agreement done,” Favale wrote in a March 21 story. “For one thing, they don’t have the financial flexibility to begin replacing the 33-year-old if he declines his $40.2 million player option and leaves in free agency.”
Favale added that it might be in their best interest to sign him to a team-friendly contract.
“Equally important: Extending him on a deal that gets him to decline the option and sign for a smaller annual number over the longer term softens next season’s second-apron intractability.
“This can seem like a small thing on its face. Does it really matter if Holiday shaves $10 million or so off his average annual value when that won’t allow Boston to duck the second apron?
“Next season? Not so much. But having his number beyond this year locked in lets the front office plan around a concrete cap sheet. There’s value in that—and even more value in simply guaranteeing Holiday stays put.”
The Celtics are a team that has crossed the NBA’s second tax apron. If they stay above it, there will be ramifications. That’s why Holiday’s next deal could be a huge factor in future decisions.
