Celtics' Jrue Holiday Provides Update on Injury Status After Return vs Raptors

The six-time All-Defensive Teamer rejoined Boston after a four-game absence.

Dec 12, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) waits for game action to resume during the first half against the Detroit Pistons at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

On New Year's Eve, six-time All-Defensive Teamer Jrue Holiday rejoined the Boston Celtics after a four-game absence. The two-time All-Star had been dealing with a right shoulder impingement.

Boston responded with one of its best defensive efforts this season, obliterating the Toronto Raptors at home by 54 points, 125-71.

The 6-foot-4 UCLA product spoke after the game with reporters about the state of his shoulder, per Noa Dalzell of SB Nation. He told gathered journalists that the injury was suffered as an impact of a hit on the shoulder. He suggested that he is feeling fine following his first game back for Boston.

"Sucks to sit out. Felt great to be back, be in this arena, play in front of the fans," Holiday said. Holiday noted that the injury may have actually have corrected his 3-point stroke this year. In the Raptors game, Holiday went 4-of-5 from long range across 25:05 of action. That bumped his shooting from distance on the season to a fairly respectable 34.2 percent, on 5.4 triple tries a night. Prior to the Toronto matchup, it had been 32.6 percent. Last year — his first in Boston — he connected on 42.9 percent of his 4.7 attempts from the beyond the arc.

On the season, Holiday is averaging 12.3 points on .453/.342/.889 shooting splits, 4.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.0 steals in his 27 healthy games. Despite playing in his 16th season and being a relatively old (by NBA standards) 34, with significant playoff and Olympic mileage, Holiday remains one of the most elite defensive perimeter players in the league. His return to health is critical for a Celtics squad looking to become the first team to repeat in seven years. Six of Boston's seven best players — the lone exception being Sixth Man of the Year candidate Payton Pritchard — are above-average players on both sides of the hardwood.

Following their blowout victory against the lowly Raptors, Boston is now 24-9 on the year, good for second in the Eastern Conference behind the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Celtics next face off against another lottery-bound Eastern Conference club, the 12-20 Brooklyn Nets, on Thursday.

Holiday's addition to the club, along with that of Kristaps Porzingis, was exactly what the club needed to bring it back to championship glory for the first time in 16 years.

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