The Boston Celtics are practically running it back with their squad for the title defense. Jayson Tatum just became one of the highest-paid players in league history with Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Derrick White staying.
While there are a lot of adjustments that Joe Mazzulla and Brad Stevens need to make, their squad is more than willing to be patient. Nothing said that more than one of their star guards expressed a big interest in staying with the organization.
Derrick White came into the Celtics roster with a wonky jump shot and an above-average defensive acumen. This was enough for Brad Stevens to trust him alongside Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Over time, he developed a reliable stroke from three-point range due to Joe Mazzulla’s system. Then, the City of Boston also embraced him as one of their own. He has acclimated well into the local culture and even bought a duck boat.
It was clear as day that the Celtics had a franchise guard that wanted to stay. White even outlined his desire to remain within the system in his latest statement, via Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports.
“I said the whole time that I loved it in Boston. I was hopeful and pretty thankful that it all happened pretty quickly and I don’t have to answer questions about it all season. It was pretty easy. I just wanted to be there, they wanted me there. So, it worked out. It’s exciting. I think everybody knows how well we got along and just enjoy playing with each other. It’s just going to be a lot of fun that we don’t have to ask questions about it. Everybody’s excited to do special things here in Boston,” White concluded.
So, it does not look like the Celtics have to worry about chemistry issues down the line.
Derrick White’s run with the Celtics so far
It’s safe to say that White was hungry to win it all against the Dallas Mavericks. He sacrificed a tooth in the process and even played a role that enabled their Jaylen Brown-Jayson Tatum duo to thrive on the court. But, that does not mean that his impact decreased. In fact, the opposite happened. His impact grew larger with the help of Joe Mazzulla and Brad Stevens’ trust.
In their 2024-25 campaign, White notched the second-highest average he had in scoring throughout his career. He knocked down 46.1% of his shots from all three levels of the floor while also having a 39.1% clip from three. All of these helped him get 15.2 points per contest. He also had a career-high year in assists. His increased ability to create shots for his teammates netted him 5.2 assists a night.
But, most of his impact was felt on the defensive side of the court. He was given the All-Defensive 2nd Team nod and even ranked eighth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Being able to get a steal and 1.2 blocks per game usually helps in that aspect of one’s stat sheet. Overall, his run with the Celtics has been nothing but phenomenal.
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