After the trade that brought Jrue Holiday to the Celtics in exchange of giving up Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams, the trajectory has shifted.

The Celtics are now legit contenders.

Some people may have believed that Kristaps Porzingis being added to the Celtics was the one, but Holiday is the reason. We can’t forget that the only key player on the Boston Celtics roster with a championship is Holiday. And that’s exactly why he was brought on.

The C’s gave up the Sixth Man of the Year in Brogdon and a former Defensive Player of the Year in Marcus Smart months ago. Players on the roster have a lot of talent, but they don’t have experience of winning a title, except for Holiday.

I mean hell, even adding Sam Cassell to the coaching staff shows that Brad Stevens understood that the C’s needed veteran experience. They needed guys who know what it takes to finish off a season with hoisting up a trophy.

Please don’t expect Holiday to still be averaging around 20 points a game–that’s not going to happen. Instead, he can average around 13 points a game, but make a lot of defensive stops and put opposing teams runs to a halt. Holiday is a second coach out there, but he also can get knock down the open shot, drive to the basket, and be a floor general. The C’s won with this pickup.

The only team standing in front of the C’s in the eastern conference is the Milwaukee Bucks. Holiday used to be there. He knows what it takes to beat them. The Miami Heat are still big threats too. But Holiday brings the mental and physical toughness that the C’s lacked the past couple of years.

Despite the suspect bench, the C’s should be frontrunners.