Speaking on TNT recently, Charles Barkley claimed that he was disappointed with the Boston Celtics when they did not win the Championship last season. Barkley’s pick for the 2023 NBA title, the Celtics, lost to Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals last time around. However, with the inclusion of the likes of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, the team has a newfound determination this year to win their first championship since 2008.
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Chuck is backing them once again based on the performances thus far, claiming that Holiday’s inclusion, in particular, is going to help the Celtics to a great extent.
“For me, the reason I pick the Celtics to win the Championship, and I have seen nothing. I thought that Jrue Holiday was going to help Jayson and Jaylen, coz they take terrible shots at times. I think he is gonna put them in better positions to score, so they don’t have to take terrible shots,” Chuck explained.
The 1993 NBA MVP further stated how unlike Marcus Smart, Holiday is a true point guard who will ensure Tatum and Brown get good looks, rather than the terrible shots they were sometimes forced to take.
Speaking about the Latvian International Porzingis, Barkley proclaimed him the best #4 in the league.
“And there is no better fourth guy in the NBA than Porzingis. You know, we are talking about, star, star, star, Porzingis is the best number 4 in the NBA,” Barkley claimed. He added that recent experiences, the last year in particular, has also helped Joe Mazzulla mature in his role.
Hence, while Barkley is once again backing the Celtics to win the championship, that was not the end of his praise for Jrue Holiday. “I said this when Jrue Holiday went to Milwaukee. Man he is…the most underrated player in the NBA. We get so enamored with running and jumping and dunking. Just being smart and tough is an underrated talent, and that’s what Jrue Holiday brings to the Celtics,” Barkley said.
It is clear that Chuck was sold after the Celtics made multiple big off-season moves. The favorites for Chuck last season as well, he is under the impression that the likes of the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers will have to improve tremendously in order to stop Boston.
Andre Iguodala also called Jrue Holiday the most underrated player
A former teammate of Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala sang a similar tune about Jrue Holiday recently. Calling him different, Iguodala claimed that Holiday deserves to be in the All-NBA Defensive team every year.
“Jrue Holiday might be one of the most underrated players. He is the most underrated player of this generation. You know, for him to not make all-defensive team every single year…” he said.
While Barkley said that Holiday will ensure the likes of Tatum and Brown would not need to take bad shots, Iguodala also said something similar. “Every team he’s been on maximized their potential regardless of making their run in the championship or you know, down in New Orleans, they always were competing and they can always upset,” he claimed.
Hence, while the Celtics have improved in other areas as well, the presence of Holiday is expected to be a huge advantage.
