Jrue Holiday clarifies his agreement with Jason Kidd's Celtics' "best player" remark about Jaylen Brown - "I prefer both"
Boston Celtics veteran guard Jrue Holiday recently made headlines for seemingly agreeing with Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd's hot take regarding his superstar teammates. However, according to Holiday, his comments were taken out of context.
On Saturday, ahead of Dallas and Boston's Game 2 NBA Finals showdown, Kidd said he considers Jaylen Brown the Celtics' "best player" over Jayson Tatum. Kidd noted that Brown "plays both sides, defense and offense, at a high rate, and he's been doing that the whole playoffs."
The 51-year-old's opinion went against the mainstream view that Tatum is Boston's top dog, with Brown trailing close behind. Thus, many speculated that Kidd was trying to disrupt the Celtics' chemistry by creating a divide between their superstar duo.
Holiday appeared to take the bait during a Saturday appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, highlighting Brown's two-way skill set.
"I don't think he's lying," Holiday said after being informed about Kidd's comments. "I think JB, he's been aggressive in every single way. He's been getting to the paint, getting to the free-throw line, also making plays for other people. And then, he's guarding Luka [Doncic], he's guarding their best player."
Jrue Holiday's response sparked surprise and confusion in the NBA world, especially considering Tatum, Brown and veteran teammate Al Horford shut down discussions about Kidd's proclamation. However, following Sunday's 105-98 Game 2 win over Dallas, the 33-year-old opened his postgame press conference by clarifying his previous comments.
Holiday noted that he was only trying to give Brown recognition for his strong playoff run, not trying to diminish Tatum's accomplishments in any way.
"I feel like people kinda took that out of context," Holiday said. "'I've been hearing that I prefer JB over JT, and that's not what that was. I like to praise my teammates when they're playing well, and I feel like that's what I did my best to do."
Holiday added that he would never pit his superstar teammates against each other.
"Both of them know how I feel about them as players, but to compare them is something that I will never do because they're two completely different players," Holiday said.
"... So, just to address the comment yesterday, I do not prefer one or the other. I prefer both. Both of them are superstars, and it's being shown out here on the biggest stage in the world."
Also Read: “Even our white guys guard”- Jrue Holiday digs into stereotypes while discussing Celtics defense vs Luka Doncic
Following controversial remarks, Jrue Holiday leads balanced team effort in Game 2 win
While Jrue Holiday faced pushback after Saturday's comments appearing to agree with Jason Kidd, he responded with arguably his best performance of this year's playoffs.
Holiday finished Game 2 with a team-high 26 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two 3-pointers on a blistering 11-for-14 (78.6%) shooting. His strong play alleviated pressure on Tatum and Brown to carry the team.
However, the superstar duo and teammate Derrick White still scored 18-plus points apiece in what marked a well-rounded team effort.
Following Sunday's win, Boston took a 2-0 series lead heading to Dallas for Games 3 and 4. It is only two wins away from securing its record-setting 18th NBA championship.
So, if the Celtics continue their dominant play and get the job done, it likely won't matter to them who is recognized as their team's best player.
Also Read: "This era Andre Iguodala"- Former Warriors guard gives Jrue Holiday his flowers with 2015 Finals MVP comparison