“Teams will probably try, and I hope so. We got full belief in Jrue. Tonight, maybe he didn’t shoot the ball as [well] as he liked, but we got full belief.” Jaylen Brown gave a candid response on how other NBA franchises may follow the example that the Memphis Grizzlies just set. Possessing a 9-1 record against the Grizzlies, not many have expected the Celtics to falter, especially when holding home-court advantage. However, Ja Morant and Co. took a unique approach to their gameplay. How? They left Jrue Holiday open behind the three-point line! The intention of their strategy became clear as the Celtics star kept missing shot after shot, even as Brown stated that they would be ready if other teams attempted something like this, no one would blame the squad for carrying a disdain towards the strategy.

In the aftermath of the Celtics-Grizzlies game, Kristaps Porziņģis engaged in a Q&A session with several media members. Discussing the Grizzlies squad, the Latvian revealed that he didn’t consider them “crazy physical” and that he and the Celtics have faced tougher competition from other teams. For him, the thing that worked in the Grizzlies’ favor was “a specific game plan, which caught us off guard of course, you know. But, that’s how it is. The teams want to throw all kinds of crazy stuff at us to try to rob a game. So, you know, it is what it is.” Keeping the bold accusation of an attempt to ‘rob a game’ aside, Porzingis also highlighted that Jrue Holiday may have been taken advantage of during the matchup. However, the same shouldn’t dissuade him.

“He was like, he’s such a chill and such a selfless guy, that he was like, almost uncomfortable that he’s so wide open. He has to shoot it every time, you know, but obviously, he knew it,” Porzingis added. “He’s a very experienced player, but still, I think it kind of caught him off guard a bit and, you know, we’re telling him ‘Just let it fly and we’ll live with the result.’ Tonight, he just didn’t have a good shooting night which, you know, can happen. And, I didn’t have a good shooting night.”

Jrue Holiday is the same player who, one game ago, had recorded a field goal percentage of 50% (7-14). He accompanied that with a three-pointer percentage of 44.4% (4-9). The Grizzlies’ strategy of leaving the player open caused him to make more attempts, with a lower success rate. By the time the game concluded, Holiday had a 30.8% (8-26) field goal percentage, and a 23.5% (4-17) three-pointer percentage. Holiday faltered on the offense, and Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. carried it for the Grizzlies. Lo and behold, the Celtics’ 3-game win streak came to an end.

For the Memphis Grizzlies, this was a moment of triumph. After all, they once again proved why they deserve to hold a Top 5 seed on the points chart. For the 2 seed occupying Boston Celtics, losing one game would not have been a big bother. In fact, they would have been glad to learn that important lesson. A lesson that everyone, including Jrue Holiday, may look to carry forward throughout the remaining games in the season.

Despite being left ‘humiliated,’ Jrue Holiday vows to not give up: “I kind of liked it”

In the aftermath of the game, Jrue Holiday would have been the player who every journalist would have wanted to get a reaction from. Upon approaching him, it didn’t take long for his lack of successful shots to be brought up. Holiday revealed that when left wide open, there are very less alternatives, but to shoot. Therefore, the apparent ‘humiliation’ was a sign that his on-court prowess simply needed to get better. In order to do so, he will welcome any challenge that comes his way.

“Gotta keep on shooting them; I’m too wide open not too,” said Holiday. “Honestly, I kind of liked it. It’s been a while since I’ve been shooting that much…I’ll continue to shoot.”

The Boston Celtics will next face the Detroit Pistons. It remains to be seen whether the rival team will employ the same strategy and whether Jrue Holiday will be more careful with his shots.