The Boston Celtics were crowned champions in 2024, with Jrue Holiday serving as a key piece in their system and one of the NBA’s premier defensive players. Given his role, Holiday has the authority to speak on who was the toughest Celtic to defend — and it wasn’t Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown.
According to Holiday, the real challenge during Celtics practices was Payton Pritchard. The two-time NBA champion named the relentless backup guard as the one who gave him the most trouble in full-court drills.
“It might be Payton [Pritchard],” Holiday said on Run It Back TV. “There’s this drill that we have where you have to dribble against Payton full-court. He just be going crazy. Speed, handle, low to the ground so he could body you. Stops on a dime. Payton’s cold, bro.”
Holiday spent two seasons in Boston, averaging 11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 46.4 percent from the field. As the Celtics’ starting point guard, he helped lead them to the 2024 championship — just three years after lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Unfortunately, Holiday’s run with the Celtics recently came to an end following his trade to the Portland Trail Blazers this preseason. The move was a tough blow for Boston’s roster, but the front office chose to cut salary after a string of injuries derailed their title hopes heading into the 2025-26 campaign.
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The Celtics, however, managed to keep Pritchard, a decision that looks increasingly valuable. Last season, he averaged 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in a career-high 28.4 minutes per game. He carved out a sizeable role as one of the first options off the bench and became an integral part of their rotation. Now, he is gonna be more important with the absent of Jayson Tatum and could be a great partner of Brown.
His role only grew in importance over the course of the year, culminating in recognition as the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year. Pritchard’s consistent and selfless scoring was paired with disruptive defense, which Boston regularly used in practice to sharpen their stars’ ball-handling skills.
For Holiday, the impression was clear: Pritchard is more than a spark plug. In his eyes, the Celtics have a “secret weapon” in the scrappy guard — a player whose value extends well beyond the box score.
