The Boston Celtics stand on the precipice of an unexpected first-round sweep of the Brooklyn Nets, courtesy of the team’s exceptional defense.
However, despite Boston’s apparent dominance, there are still areas of their team that can be considered a weakness. Bench shooting, for example, has been an issue all season and could come to bite the Celtics on any given night.
According to Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz, Derrick White is also a potential limitation for Boston, primarily due to the recent additions limitations on the offensive side of the ball.
“While he can be a terrific defender, White is averaging just 4.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 turnovers in his 18.3 minutes, shooting 30.8 percent overall. Despite being up 3-0, the Celtics have actually been outscored by the Nets when White’s been on the floor in the series.
Given that Boston paid a good amount to bring White in (2022 first-round pick, 2028 first-round pick swap, Josh Richardson and Romeo Langford), it’s fair to expect more out of the 27-year-old in future rounds,” Swartz wrote.
White Fits Boston’s System
While White isn’t a flashy player or high-scoring guard, he does fit perfectly into Ime Udoka’s offensive and defensive schemes. In the absence of his scoring punch, White does offer fantastic ball movement, quick reads, and high-level perimeter defense – all of which go towards the Celtics staying afloat when their bench unit is on the floor.
When Brad Stevens made the trade to acquire the former San Antonio Spurs guard at the February 10 trade deadline, he did so knowing that White wasn’t the answer to Boston’s bench scoring issues. However, Stevens also knew that the 27-year-old would easily fit into the team’s rotation without taking vital touches away from star players such as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown when they’re on the court.
Derrick White’s defense is unique & impressive!
He’s one of 2 players in the NBA this season to be in the top 20% of our @The_BBall_Index 2013-22 database in both On-Ball Defense & Rim Protection.
Can you guess the other?
Btw, look at White’s Interior Defense report card:
White is a known commodity to Udoka following their time together in San Antonio, which meant the Celtics were bringing in a player who understood the team’s system from the get-go, and while the 30.6% three-point shooting has been worrisome, the team-first mentality has been a breath of fresh air.
Stevens Believes White is an Accentuator
A lot of heads were turned when the Celtics traded for White. Not because the Colorado native is a bad player, but because of the package Boston had to give up in order to bring him to the team.
Most fans felt like a future pick swap was a step too far – but if the Celtics can win a championship or two between now and the end of White’s tenure on the team, nobody will be questioning the validity of the deal. Still, Stevens ensured that he sang White’s praises following the trade deadline, labeling him as an accentuator to the team’s star-level talent.
“We’ve thought for years that Derrick was a really good fit with our best players. He is an excellent defender. He just makes the right play on offense over and over and over. He’s a guy that only cares about winning, that will do all of the little things, as you can see in some of his stats.
Defensively, with regard to willingness to put his body on the line, activity, shot challenges, all of those things. And on offense, just by making simple plays and doesn’t need to do anything to be on the highlights to really, really impact winning,” Stevens told the media shortly after acquiring White.
White might not be putting up big numbers for the Celtics in their playoff series against the Nets, but he’s certainly an integral cog in the team’s system and allows others to play with more freedom, which is an invaluable skill set to possess.
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Key Celtics Addition is ‘Holding Back’ Boston, Says Analyst