Jrue Holiday’s Celtics role through the numbers

After signing his four-year, $135 million extension back in April, Jrue Holiday alluded to Joe Mazzulla’s coaching approach and how it has impacted his game. Holiday said, “Joe has definitely grown my game, grown my vision and perspective on basketball.”

We can all agree we witnessed a great season from Jrue Holiday. But what sets it apart from his standards in Milwaukee? Let’s dive deep into the numbers to better understand how Jrue Holiday’s role has changed for the better.

Finding balance

Jrue Holiday has often been viewed as a smart player with great impact. Nonetheless, I’ve always found his shot selection questionable — especially his three-point shooting. During his last season in Milwaukee, Jrue averaged over four pull-up threes per game, one of the highest volumes in the league. On the other hand, his catch-and-shoot volume was half that.

Even though Jrue was quite good on pull-up threes, catch-and-shoot threes are typically more efficient and stable. We often hear that Jrue’s shooting struggles in the playoffs, which is mostly due to variance and unreliable shot selection. However, this year, Jrue Holiday shot very well in the postseason. Was it luck? Did Jrue become a better shooter? Or did he change his shot selection?

For the first two months, Jrue Holiday’s pull-up three volume decreased but remained higher than his catch-and-shoot volume. Then, starting in January, Jrue began taking more catch-and-shoot threes than pull-ups and never looked back.

Thanks to this adjustment, Jrue became the sniper the Celtics needed, changing the narrative around his shooting in the playoffs. These metrics reveal how Jrue Holiday has evolved his approach to three-point shooting.

From an above-average creator to an elite connector

Jrue Holiday taking more catch-and-shoot threes means he’s no longer the primary creator. He has become a player who thrives on advantages already created by his teammates — a player who maintains those advantages and optimizes them. A connector. That’s what the numbers show us.

Per Cleaning the Glass, Jrue Holiday was assisted on 30% of his field goals during his last season in Milwaukee. Last year with Boston, that jumped to 58%! Jrue used to create two-thirds of his buckets; now, he creates a bit more than one-third of them. This aligns with…