Paul Pierce boldly declares Jrue Holiday and Derrick White are the best backcourt in NBA after stellar Finals
Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce went ahead and proclaimed Derrick White and Jrue Holiday as the best backcourt in the NBA after his former team won the championship earlier today.
The Celtics, who were up against the Dallas Mavericks, produced another resounding performance which saw Jrue Holiday return with a double-double, while White failed to achieve the feat due to his eight rebounds. The former scored 15 points and had 11 assists, while the latter scored 14.
The Celtics’ backcourt, which has been in immense form through the Playoffs, was busy once again on both ends of the court, and the recent performances have led to Pierce making an ambitious claim during his appearance on Undisputed.
Even if Skip Bayless and Keyshawn Johnson stared at the 2008 NBA champion in disbelief, he claimed the following:
"Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. Is this the best backcourt in the NBA? This is the best backcourt in the NBA. Overall, best backcourt in the NBA. Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, offence and defence I am throwing that out of the window."
Johnson quickly brought up the likes of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, who the Celtics faced in the Finals. However, when asked whether Joe Mazzulla would trade his backcourt of Holiday and White for the Mavericks superstars, Pierce claimed that not only the Celtics coach, but every NBA GM will take the championship-winners over the Doncic and Irving:
"Luka and Kyrie, they would. I bet you, any GM would take them, over Kyrie and Luka."
Needless to say, the opinion is bound to result in severe scrutiny, even if Pierce may have said the above due to the excitement of seeing his team win their first championship since his playing days.
Paul Pierce reserved special praise for Derrick White and Jrue Holiday
There is no doubt that both Derrick White and Jrue Holiday played an integral role on the Celtics roster. The arrival of Holiday in particular has converted a strong Celtics side into championship pedigree, as they pulled off one of the most comfortable Championship runs seen in the league’s history.
Regardless, while Pierce believes Holiday is the best two-way player in the league, he sees Derrick White as potentially the most underrated player in the NBA:
I truly believe this, he is the best two-way player in the NBA. It showed in the biggest team, in the biggest moment. He might be the most underrated player in the NBA. Coz in the series. He averaged 16 points a game which we don’t even talk about. I mean, that’s huge. Like he is the third or fourth option.
White, rumored to be Kawhi Leonard’s potential replacement for Team USA for the Paris Olympics, may as well have earned a spot on the roster alongside Holiday. The player saw a comprehensive increase in numbers in the Playoffs, averaging 16.7 points, 4.1 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game.
On the other hand, Holiday became the first NBA player to win the championship in his first year for a new team, and was the defensive lynchpin in an impressive roster, contributing with 13.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists. While elite numbers to say the least, when one considers the kind of defensive contributions both players tend to make, whether that qualifies them as the best backcourt in the NBA is a controversial matter indeed.