Jrue Holiday: Jason Kidd Isn't 'Lying' Calling Jaylen Brown Celtics' Best Player

Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday is backing up Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd's statement that Jaylen Brown is Boston's best player.

"I don't think he's lying," Holiday said Saturday on SiriusXM NBA Radio. "I think JB, he's been aggressive in every single way. He's been getting to the paint, getting to the free-throw line, also making plays for other people. And then, he's guarding Luka, he's guarding their best player."

"I've been on teams where, just any team, where does your best player have such a heavy load on the offensive load, and then just as equal a heavy load on the defensive end. That's hard to do, especially against somebody like Luka."

Brown led the Celtics with 22 points during Thursday's 107-89 win over the Mavericks in Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals.

Mavericks star Luka Dončić still led Dallas with 30 points in the loss. He shot 12-for-26 from the field, and 4-for-12 from behind the arc, while matched up against Brown.

Holiday's response followed comments Kidd made to reporters on Saturday, ahead of Sunday's Game 2.

"Well, Jaylen's their best player, so just looking at what he does defensively," Kidd said, per NBA TV. "He picked up Luka full-court. He got to the free-throw line. He did everything, and that's what your best player does."

Kidd continued: "He plays both sides, defense and offense, at a high rate, and he's been doing that the whole playoffs."

Holiday appears to be the first Celtics player to publicly weigh in on the accuracy of Kidd's statement.

Brown responded to Kidd's comments by saying that basketball "is a team game."

Jayson Tatum, the five-time All-Star who has so far led the Celtics through the playoffs by averaging 25.3 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, described Kidd's comments as an attempt "to drive a wedge in between us."

"I guess it's a smart thing to do, or try to do," Tatum said Saturday on NBA TV. "But we've been in this position for many years, of guys trying to divide us, and say that one of us should be traded, or one's better than the other. So it's not our first time at the rodeo."

Whatever Holiday's answer, the Celtics will need both Holiday and Tatum when Game 2 tips off Sunday.

Boston will lean on Tatum's playmaking to spark their offense, while using Brown to stifle Dončić and score while Dallas' top defenders are focused on Tatum, as the Celtics look to take a 2-0 series lead at TD Garden.