Hours after Jrue Holiday was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, rising third-year Celtics player Jordan Walsh joined CLNS Media’s Garden Report for an all-encompassing interview about his Summer League goals, his sophomore season, and much more.
Walsh also reacted to the Holiday trade, though he didn’t speak in definitive terms since nothing has officially been reported.
“What I do know is that Jrue was definitely a mentor for me,” Walsh said. “He was definitely a guy that I definitely looked up to, and I would hate if he was not in Boston.”
Walsh pointed to one particular dinner this past year in which the 35-year-old veteran gave him advice regarding both basketball and life.
“One of the biggest memories was us going to dinner, a Korean BBQ place, in one city, and we just sat down and talked. “There were other guys there, but I was more of a sponge, just absorbing everything that he was saying, whether it was basketball related or off the court stuff, just trying to find things that I could relate to.”
Several days before the trade, Celtics two-way player Drew Peterson similarly reflected on Holiday’s presence in the locker room.
“I just think he embodies the perfect type of guy, type of teammate on off the court that you can imagine,” Peterson said. “And he shows it with how he plays – he’s very selfless, he doesn’t demand shots, doesn’t need shots. He takes shots when he gets them. And, he works his butt off on defensive end.”
Throughout his tenure, Walsh routinely referenced Holiday as someone whose game he studied, particularly on the defensive end.
“He’s such a great guy, and he’s such a good player,” said the 21-year-old. “If he were to take that step away from us, everybody would feel the hole left in our heart from Jrue. The fans would feel it, we would feel it.”
Hours after the interview with Walsh, Kristaps Porzingis was traded to the Atlanta Hawks.
