Jrue Holiday's Boston Celtics are in the Eastern Conference finals. How's Holiday fared this season?

It'll either be Wisconsin native Tyrese Haliburton or former Milwaukee Bucks standout Jrue Holiday who represents the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals this year; Indiana's surprising defeat of New York on Sunday set up a Celtics-Pacers best-of-seven series for the East crown that begins Tuesday.

The Celtics, who have gone 8-2 in the playoffs after posting the best regular-season record in the league, will be the heavy favorite. Holiday, who was part of the Bucks' 2021 championship run and a member of the Bucks the past three seasons, has started just about every game for Boston season. So how's he fared?

Why did the Bucks trade Jrue Holiday?

The Milwaukee Bucks traded Holiday in the offseason as part of the blockbuster deal to acquire Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard. In rebuild mode, the Blazers turned around and dealt Holiday to the Boston Celtics in exchange for another former Bucks player, Malcolm Brogdon, as well as center Rob Williams and two first-round picks.

Suddenly, one of Milwaukee's most popular players was playing for a team fighting for the same terrain atop the Eastern Conference.

It's not the first time Holiday has been the centerpiece of a monster trade haul. In 2020 as part of a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, the Bucks added Holiday in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, the 24th overall pick in 2020, and first-round picks in 2025 and 2027, plus the right to swap picks in 2024 and 2026.

Holiday, of course, became the missing piece to a championship run, providing lockdown perimeter defense and 17.7 points per game. That season, he was named first-team All-Defense on the first of two occasions during his time in Milwaukee and received votes for Defensive Player of the Year, something he would replicate the next two years.

Holiday was an all-star at age 32 last year, scoring 19.3 points per game and again making first-team All-Defense.

The Celtics defense is very good, and Jrue Holiday is a big reason why

The Celtics rank second in the league in defensive rating, allowing 110.6 points per 100 possessions, and Holiday pairs with Derrick White to formulate perhaps the best defensive backcourt in the league.

Holiday finished sixth in the voting for the league's Defensive Player of the Year, a notch higher than he ever ranked in Milwaukee.

How have Jrue Holiday's numbers compared to his time in Milwaukee?

Holiday's offensive numbers have fallen off, but that's a function of his role and the talent around him. The Celtics have three players scoring better than 20 points per game in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis.

Holiday is playing the same volume of minutes as he did in Milwaukee but is now down to 12.5 points and 4.8 assists per game, both big drops from last year (19.3, 7.4). His rebounds are up to a career-high 5.4 per game, and he's shooting much better from three-point range (43%) than he did in Milwaukee (39.5% over three seasons), though he's taking nearly half as many shots from deep. He's shooting 83.3% from the line and 48% from the field, roughly in line with what he did in Milwaukee.

How has Jrue Holiday done in the playoffs?

Holiday hasn't scored more than 18 points in any of the 10 playoff games for the Celtics and has finished with just single digits four times, but he remains an indispensable part of their defense. He had 18 points, eight rebounds and five steals in a Game 3 win over Cleveland in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Jrue Holiday signed an extension to remain in Boston

Holiday signed a four-year extension to stay in Boston worth $135 million in April, so Bucks fans will continue to get a reminder of Holiday's value in the Eastern Conference title chase.

“Since I came here, the situation here, it’s only been love,” Holiday said at the time. “The city of Boston, not only them but the organization, made it super-easy for (our family) to have to navigate and get through a time that was a bit stressful for us, so just an appreciation for them. We love the city, we love this organization, the players in it, and what they stand for, and we’re doing our best to get another banner.”

The Celtics, one of the most storied franchises in NBA history, are looking for just their second title since 1986, joining the 2007-08 season when current Bucks coach Doc Rivers was at the helm.

What else has Jrue Holiday said about the move to Boston?

Jrue and wife Lauren Holiday have left a lasting impression on Milwaukee, including a fund that continues to support Black-owned nonprofits, businesses, educational institutions and organizations that serve the community.

Lauren was open about how devastating it was to learn Jrue had been traded from Milwaukee.

"I'm not sharing this to say we are entitled to anything," Lauren said. "I'm sharing this to say we are human beings whose kids develop friendships with other kids in our community, we are people who value family and friendships and invest in the cities we play in. We don't just take from the city we play in. We give to the city we play in and we give our all."

Holiday explained to Boston.com and others why he felt so comfortable signing the extension in Boston.

“I’m really just being me. Being whatever the team needs. There’s going to be days where I’m scoring a lot, but there’s going to be days where I’m going to have to defend and get steals — or I guess that’s every day — but there might be days where I’m just shooting corner threes. And I feel like whatever fit that I (have) during that game or during that time, during that moment, I’m here for that.”

Holiday said he wants to win "multiple rings" in Boston.

How much worse did the Bucks get on defense without Jrue Holiday?

The Bucks had a defensive rating of 115 in 2024, ranking 19th in the NBA.

Milwaukee was No. 4 in defensive rating last year (110.9) with Holiday, 14th the year before and ninth during the championship season.

Obviously, it's more than just Holiday, and the Bucks were happy to exchange elite defense for elite offense in adding Lillard.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How has Jrue Holiday fared with the Boston Celtics this year?