Derrick White is “more significant influence” for the Celtics than Brown and Tatum are.
With stars like Kristaps Porzingis, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown leading the team, the Boston Celtics have soared to the top overall seed in the NBA.League insider Mark Medina contends that point guard Derrick White, who has mainly been overlooked on the team, has had an even “more significant” influence on the Celtics’ ascent to the top this season.
The Celtics, who made it to the Finals in 2022 but lost in the Eastern Conference Finals the previous season, indicated their intentions for the 2023–24 regular season by pulling off a blockbuster trade to acquire Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards. This was a multi-team deal that saw them part ways with Marcus Smart after nine seasons. The Celtics had been this close to winning the coveted 18th NBA title in recent years.
Shortly after, they emerged victorious in the Jrue Holiday sweepstakes, which led to his acquisition by the Portland Trail Blazers in return for Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams III, and two first-round selections. He was included in the trade for Damian Lillard that their Eastern Conference rivals, the Milwaukee Bucks, made.
The Boston Celtics have had an incredible season thus far, leading the NBA in win percentage (77.8%) and overall efficiency rating (88.3%), and outscoring their opponents by an average of 10.2 points per 100 possessions. This is mostly due to the two new lineup members.
With superstars Tatum and Brown on the team, some contend that one man in particular has slipped under the spotlight yet has contributed to the cohesiveness of the starting lineup by tying all the top players together. It is Derrick White, the player.As he enters his finest season to date, even his teammates are impressed—and, to be honest, a little taken aback—by his on-court performance. Porzingis referred to him back in December as the “perfect teammate” because of his ability to find the right players “90-plus percent of the time” and his “super efficient” shooting.
Although White has established himself as a regular member of the Celtics starting lineup over the last two seasons, Medina is taken aback by how effective he has been in that capacity. In fact, he believes that White has had the biggest influence on Boston’s ascent to the top overall seed.
It’s not surprising that he’s a mainstay in the starting lineup because he’s a really important player and a terrific shooter from the previous season, but it is surprising that he’s putting up those kinds of numbers. In fact, he may have contributed more to the Celtics’ league-best record than any other starter, including Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The fact that he can score despite not being the offensive focal point is just a really wonderful mix. He plays team basketball and is an excellent defender.White, who was promoted to a full-time starting position following the previous season, has seized the chance to focus on improving both his own shooting efficiency and his ability to consistently create for his teammates.
The 6-foot-4 guard has averaging 15.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and both career-highs on 46.5 percent shooting from the field and 40.1 percent from three in 32.1 minutes per game after starting all 41 of his games this season.
White averaged less than a shot attempt a game in his rookie season, but this is the first time he has exceeded the 40-plus percent mark since then.
His on-and off-court statistics provide the most insight into his impact on the Celtics. Boston scores 82.6 points per game on average when he is on the court, but only 45.6 points when he is off the court. Comparably, the Celtics dish up 17.6 assists per game when he’s on the court, but that figure drops precipitously to 9.8 when he’s off the court.
With a rating of 121.8, White tops all of his teammates who have played more than 500 minutes this season in terms of offensive efficiency. Meanwhile, his 108.1 defensive rating is tied for first place on the squad with big man Al Horford. But once he leaves the floor, Boston’s offense posts a team-low 116.2 offensive rating, while their defense deteriorates to a team-high 111.2 defensive rating.
In terms of defense, White has a 44.9 percent defensive field goal percentage when facing him as their main defender. He limits his opponents to just 6.2 shots made each game. His percentage point differential of minus-2.4 percent is more than that of both Tatum (minus-2.3 percent) and Holiday (minus-0.7 percent) among the guards on the team, as this is lower than their 47.3 percent field goal season average.
Because of this, one could argue that White and Holiday together form one of the league’s greatest defensive backcourts for the Celtics.
With the bigger names in the lineup, White’s performances may have gone unnoticed at times, but he still has a slim chance of earning a reserve All-Star spot, as the team’s roster will be revealed the following week. If that honor were given to him, he would certainly be well-deserving of it. Overall, White has had an incredible season for the Celtics thus far.
