“I Take Drugs”: Jrue Holiday Laughs Off the Extent of His Finger Injury

This season has been full of ups and downs for Jrue Holiday. After battling a shoulder injury earlier, Holiday is now reeling from a pinky finger injury on his right hand. He missed four games at the beginning of March due to the injury. He’s back in the rotation now and had his best game of the season on Friday night.

Turns out an injured finger isn’t enough to contain the Celtics guard. Holiday led the team alongside Jayson Tatum against the Miami Heat at the Kaseya Center. He dropped 25 points with four rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes, securing a 103-91 win over the home team. After the win, the 34-year-old talked about his injury.

The right-hand mallet finger has had an impact on Holiday’s game. The guard is far from feeling perfect. However, at this stage of the season, the Celtics need him more than any other player. And a minor injury by his standard isn’t enough to keep him away from taking over games. The drugs help too.

When asked about the pain he’s feeling from the injured finger, Holiday said, “I take drugs, so it works out.” Using drugs to combat injury pain has been a part of the NBA discussions over the last few months. It started with Paul George admitting that drugs have helped him a lot as he battles his injuries.

PG hasn’t played since March 4. His long list of injuries includes hyperextended knee, groin issues, and finger injury, among others. Last month, when he was asked if he had some advice for his teammate Joel Embiid, who is another injury-prone athlete, PG said, “Drugs helped me. That’s what’s kind of getting me over the hump.”

Holiday resorting to the same solution is seemingly doing wonders for him. After his game-winning performance, JT also heaped praise on the guard. He said, “He’s been dealing with the finger injury and stuff, so I know it probably feels good for him to see some shots go in…. that’s what makes us so dynamic.”

“We got somebody like Jrue that can pick up the slack and be aggressive and attack mismatches,” Tatum concluded. Although there are two superstars on the Celtics, Holiday is arguably their most important player. His presence on both ends of the floor often becomes the deciding factor for games.

His true impact was seen in the Eastern Conference Finals last season when he averaged 18.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in 4 games. Holiday shot nearly 59% from the field and 42% from the long range. As the Celtics prepare for another deep playoff run, Holiday’s role in the team’s success will be crucial again.