After a primary season the place all went nicely for Jrue Vacation within the Celtics uniform, the second act was a disappointment. His particular person performances and collective impression went downhill from 2023–24 to 2024–25, and regardless of his finest effort, he couldn’t replicate the footprint he had final 12 months. That being mentioned, what have been the basis causes behind this underperforming season? Wanting again, there have been each contextual causes and particular person causes.
A brand new remedy
Vacation this season needed to take care of a brand new remedy from opposing defenses. Certainly, beginning in December 2024 with the Memphis Grizzlies, groups started to contemplate Vacation a non-shooting risk and invited him to shoot from past the arc. Subsequently, his 3-point quantity stored rising, with 51% of his shot makes an attempt coming from that space. Nonetheless, the taking pictures effectivity dropped drastically. Even earlier than he injured his finger, Vacation’s taking pictures accuracy was far beneath what he delivered the earlier 12 months, and opposing groups stored capitalizing on that.
The earlier season, he was thought of lethal from the corners, with 60% accuracy from there. This season, on a much bigger quantity, he made solely 30% of his makes an attempt from the nook throughout the common season. Whereas his actual stage is probably going someplace between these two marks, his incapacity to show opposing defenses mistaken price the Celtics their spacing with him on the ground. Within the 15 video games the Celtics misplaced whereas he performed, he shot 19% from past the arc on greater than 5 makes an attempt per recreation.
This taking pictures stoop had an apparent offensive impression—however not solely. The problem pressured Joe Mazzulla and his teaching employees to provide extra clutch minutes and 4th-quarter tasks to Payton Pritchard. Offensively, it was an incredible enhance and an amazing different to take care of the Jrue taking pictures enigma. Nonetheless, with Pritchard on the ground, the Celtics’ unbreakable protection turned a bit extra shaky. Groups often go after the sixth Man of the 12 months—and regardless of his finest effort and relentless work—he’s nonetheless a 6’1” guard who will be focused. The Celtics’ defensive ranking was 110.2 factors per 100 possessions with Jrue Vacation on the ground, 112.8 with Payton Pritchard as an alternative. It’s nonetheless good, however not as elite.
Whereas the taking pictures is regarding—however may bounce again, as a result of that’s how variance works—what is perhaps trickier to take care of is his incapacity to drive or create from the conditions the place opponents left him open. His driving, which I believed was again in opposition to the Magic, is definitely gone for good. He wasn’t in a position to drive—neither in opposition to Jalen Brunson and the Knicks, nor when attacking the house defenses gave him. In his final season in Milwaukee, he drove greater than 11 instances per recreation. Final season, greater than 6. This season, there have been fewer than 5 drives per recreation. With the accidents piling up, perhaps Vacation doesn’t have the juice to drive every day anymore.
Due to this new remedy, Jrue Vacation’s taking pictures instability and declining well being have been expensive for the Celtics—and is also problematic this summer time when Brad Stevens affords him to different groups. Nonetheless, whereas the offense is puzzling, the protection stays elite, and he’s nonetheless one of the crucial versatile gamers within the NBA.
Can he nonetheless assist a crew win?
Going into the offseason, that would be the query the opposite 29 common managers can be asking themselves when taking a look at Jrue Vacation’s 4-year, $134,400,000 contract. With the brand new CBA, Vacation’s deal accounts for round 20% of the league cap till 2027–28, when he can be 37 years previous. But, regardless of the contract, the taking pictures enigma, and the accidents, Jrue Vacation may nonetheless be a optimistic participant in a aggressive atmosphere due to his means to do every part. He’s a guard who can play both with or with out the ball. He can display, cross on the transfer, and play within the dunker spot when wanted. He would possibly really be one of the best dunker-spot guard within the NBA.
Defensively, he can nonetheless tackle one of the best opposing ball-handler, match up with a middle, and play the quarterback in the midst of a zone protection. All these ability units make him a beneficial participant in a profitable atmosphere. That’s most likely why the Celtics ought to be capable of commerce him this offseason. However due to his contract and his age, the commerce may price the Celtics different belongings from Brad Stevens to make the deal extra interesting to the opposite crew.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26007768/2215588044.jpg)
Photograph by Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe by way of Getty Photos
However this final season, the Jrue Vacation commerce throughout the 2023 offseason will stay a hit. He got here and tailored completely to a brand new position. With him, the Celtics have been in a position to lastly attain the highest and win the 18th. His contract extension, nevertheless, is perhaps questionable—however this belongs to the previous. Now, each the Boston Celtics and Jrue Vacation have to maneuver ahead, and this is perhaps the top of a brief, but profitable, partnership.
