From opponent to admirer, Jrue Holiday makes commendable revelation about Jaylen Brown

Brooklyn Nets v Boston Celtics — Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday finds themselves as teammates after years of being opponents

Just last season, Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown were on opposing teams that were battling to be the best in the NBA Eastern Conference. Entering this year, they find themselves teaming up with each other for the Boston Celtics.

Holiday recalled how he competed against Brown and described the two-time NBA All-Star as an opponent.

"I remember going up against JB, and I'm like, man, this dude is good," said Holiday in a teaser trailer of the Boston Celtics podcast, View From The Rafters.

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Jrue Holiday also bared how Jaylen Brown has an unusual gesture of getting into the competitive mood by bumping him at the start of games, and the 27-year-old won't back down from anyone.

"He was kind of like my match-up. Strong player, super athletic, and every time, like one of the first plays of the games, he would just hit me, like hit me in the chest somewhere, and I'm like, are you good? Are you straight?" tells Holiday.

"Every game, he would do it, and I'm like, I like that, because like, a lot of guys can tend to back down when I'm guarding them. And JB is not that type of person to back down."

The Bucks and the Celtics faced off in a memorable seven-game series in 2021-22 during the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals. Milwaukee went on to win the crucial Game 7 en route their first championship since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led them.

Jrue Holiday sees Jaylen Brown's tenacity and aggressiveness as an asset to the Boston Celtics

Known as a prolific defender, Jrue Holiday is tasked to guard the best guards and wing players from opposing teams.

For the Celtics, he sees his experience competing against Jaylen Brown as a huge asset in winning matchups.

"I mean is the competitive nature," said Holiday. "I feel that makes everyone better but especially the person you are going up against makes them better and even more connected.

"At this point, I'm like, if you are going to do this against me, I know you are doing it against them."

In 20 games this season, Jaylen Brown has provided the Celtics 22.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals a night. Meanwhile, Jrue Holiday in 19 games is averaging 12.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists. The Boston Celtics are atop the Eastern Conference with a 16-5 record.