Jrue Holiday On Mike Budenholzer Telling Bradley Beal To Play Like Him: ‘I Also Don’t Know What He Meant By Saying That’

According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, Mike Budenholzer told Bradley Beal to play like Jrue Holiday. 

Beal was angry when Budenholzer told him that. 

The Phoenix Suns, who went 36-46 this season despite having Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, fired Budenholzer on Monday. Phoenix fired both Budenholzer and Frank Vogel after one season. 

Holiday played for Budenholzer on the Milwaukee Bucks, who beat the Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals. The current Boston Celtics guard told local reporters on Tuesday that he doesn’t understand what Budenholzer meant when he told Beal to play like him. 

“I guess I have nothing to say because this is the first time I’m hearing about it,” Holiday said, via NBA reporter Jay King of The Athletic. “I think me and Brad are different players. And I also don’t know what he meant by saying that. But we are different players.

“Brad is an elite scorer and he’s had somewhat of an off year. So I feel like just things are different. It’s tough to go from where he was, somewhere like in Washington, and then kind of experience the experience that he’s been going through. I just don’t know why people gotta bring me into it. Let me just do me, go out here and try to win as many rings as I can.”

Beal averaged 17.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists this season while shooting 49.7% from the field, 38.6% from beyond the arc and 80.3% from the free-throw line. He’ll make $53,666,270 next season. 

Beal has a no-trade clause in his contract. 

For the Celtics, Holiday averaged 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists this season while shooting 44.3% from the field, 35.3% from 3 and 90.9% from the free-throw line. 

Boston is the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Holiday and Co. are looking to become the first team since the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors to win back-to-back championships.