As the Boston Celtics prepare for the 2024 NBA Finals, all the attention will be on defending Luka Doncic and kyrie Irving. Jrue Holiday's eyes, however, are on a couple of Dallas Mavericks players named PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford.

Teams like the Mavs' don't usually come together as quickly as they have. And yet, they've been able to come out of the Western Conference despite being picked against in every single series they've played this postseason.

In the 2023 offseason, they added Derrick Jones Jr. in free agency and landed Grant Williams in a sign and trade with the Celtics. They then overhauled the key rotational players around Doncic and Irving, sending out Grant Williams, Seth Curry, and Richaun Holmes while acquiring PJ Washington from the Charlotte Hornets and Daniel Gafford from the Washington Wizards.

Both Washington and Gafford were on teams repeatedly in the NBA Draft lottery and were each headed towards a fifth consecutive appearance. The trade launched them into playoff contention, and less than four months after the trade deadline, the duo are starters on the Western Conference Champion Dallas Mavericks.

“I saw something or somebody told me said they started from the bottom,” Jrue Holiday told ClutchPoints at NBA Finals Media Day. “Literally at the bottom, and now they're at the top.”

“That's really cool to see, especially playing against both of 'em during the season with their previous teams, seeing their role, how it went for them, then watching them in the Playoffs, being intricate, huge parts of why their team is so successful. It's really cool to see. They definitely are energy guys. They're guys that mesh well with that team and really make them go. It's going to be a challenge for us to stop them.”

Productive For Dallas

After arriving in Dallas, Washington was good, but not overly impressive with his new team. he averaged 11.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on just 42.1 percent shooting from the field and 31.4 percent from three.

He's bumped up those numbers in his first career NBA postseason appearance, averaging 13.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists on 43.2 percent shooting from the field and 36.3 percent from three.

“For me, I just thought it was a great fit for me to come here and showcase what I can do,” PJ Washington explained to ClutchPoints. “I feel like I can come in and obviously bring something to the defensive end and help us obviously get here.

“For me, I'm not surprised by any of it. I just try to come in each and every day and do my job since we got here. Credit to my teammates and we've done a great job on the defensive end. We're just happy to be here.”

Daniel Gafford appeared in 29 regular season games for the Mavs, averaging 11.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game. His per game averages have dropped off a bit, but he's been an equally big contributor, as Jrue Holiday pointed out.

“What's crazy, when I got traded, we were actually headed here to play Boston,” Daniel Gafford recalled. “I got to the practice facility. [Wizards General Manager] Will Dawkins called me and said there's a possibility you'll be going to Dallas. I said, okay, let me know. I sat in the parking lot for 30 minutes. He called me and said, You've been traded to Dallas.

“I would say when it comes to the emotions of getting traded, you could be mad, you could be happy. I would say I didn't really have a crazy reaction to it because I've been in the situation before. I just took this as a point, one door closed, another door opened for me. So this is another opportunity for me to kind of like progress throughout my career.

“I just wanted to make sure I most definitely took the right approach to it. I didn't really want to think too much on it. Like I said, it's another opportunity for me. I just took this as this is another step down my path of success.”

Both PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford have played significant roles for the Mavs so far this postseason and are expected to do so in this final round against the Celtics as well.

In his first postseason with Boston, Jrue Holiday has averaged 12.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game on 48.9 percent shooting from the field and 39.7 percent from three.