The Boston Celtics will soon be back on the court this week after a long and well-earned break.

The Celtics finished with a 7-1 record in their last eight games before the All-Star break. After a shaky month of January, the Celtics appeared to have found their groove and will look for a strong second half of the season as they only have 27 games in 53 nights.

This stretch will be crucial for the Celtics; however, they must be healthy if they want another shot at a title.

While the majority of Boston’s core is healthy as things stand, their star guard and impact player from last season, Jrue Holiday, has struggled to stay on the court this season.

Holiday has had a lingering shoulder issue, which has kept him out for some time. He last played on Feb. 4 and has dealt with this shoulder injury for over a month.

It’s unclear how serious this is and if it will affect his play down the stretch.

Even when Holiday was on the court, he was solid at best. The 34-year-old’s numbers have gone down, especially his shooting percentage from three. His shooting percentage has dropped eight percent in that category from 42.9 percent last year to 34.2 percent this year.

He appears not to be the same player, and this shoulder issue has been problematic for him.

Holiday is no longer a spring chicken. He is one of the elder statesmen on the team, and more rest may be what he needs to get the best out of him once the playoffs begin.

Holiday has missed the last four games, and the expectation is that he will be on the court on Thursday when they face the Philadephia 76ers.

However, this should hamper the Celtics’ ability to go back-to-back in the long run. Holiday brings a defensive mindset and the presence off which the Celtics thrive.

If worst comes to worst, Boston will look to lean on their potential Sixth Man of the Year, Payton Pritchard.

Pritchard is playing the best he has in his career this season. He and the other core players could be enough to carry the load if Holiday is not up to par.

Holiday has roughly two months to get healthy for another title run.