Getty Derrick White #9 and Jaylen Brown #7, Boston Celtics
After the Boston Celtics defeated the New Orleans Pelicans on November 18, Jaylen Brown singled out teammate Derrick White for his performance, pointing to how well White plays when he’s aggressive.
“I love when D-White’s aggressive,” Brown said. “It’s better for our team. He’s a really good player, and when he finds that aggressiveness, he makes the game easier for everybody else. D-White carried us tonight, and we got a win.”
“We played team basketball, made the right plays and let the game take care of itself”
@tvabby caught up with Jaylen Brown after the Celtics ninth straight game ☘️
Against the Pelicans, White put up a statline of 26 points, three rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and one assist while shooting nine-for-12 from the field, including six-for-eight from three. White also put up a team-high plus/minus of plus-21.
Derrick White, have a night 🔥
Following White’s performance, Taylor Snow of Celtics.com tweeted out White’s stats over the last three games against the Pelicans, Atlanta Hawks, and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Derrick White’s last 3 games:
58 PTS (62.5/62.5/100)
16 AST
6 STL
4 TOV
+59
100 MIN
White’s Thoughts on His Three-Point Shooting
After White’s performance against the Pelicans, White was asked about how he was able to shoot so well from the three-point line compared to last season.
“I feel good. I’m getting good looks, and I’m just shooting it and making them, so I just got to continue to put in the work in all the off-days, and if I keep getting good looks, just keeps shooting with confidence,” White said.
White also talked about the changes he made regarding the form of his jumper.
“It wasn’t anything major tweak, but just being consistent with my shot and everything like that. It’s a constant process, and just try to work every day. When it’s game time, just let it fly.”
White’s 26-point performance is his second-highest scoring output this season, behind his 27-point performance against the Orlando Magic on October 22.
White’s Shooting Improvements
Shooting-wise, Derrick White struggled with his efficiency after being traded to the Celtics at the NBA Trade Deadline. In the 26 regular season games he played for the Celtics, White averaged 11 points while shooting 40.9 percent from the field and 30.6 percent from three.
Those numbers only dwindled in the playoffs. In 23 games, White averaged 8.5 points while shooting 36.4 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from three. Occasionally, White would have a breakout game offensively in the playoffs. In Game 6 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals, White scored 22 points while shooting seven-of-14 from the field and four-of-seven from three.
The Celtics wound up losing that game despite White’s efforts. White showed out again in Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, scoring 21 points while shooting six-for-11 from the field and five-for-eight from three. His performance played a role in the Celtics taking a 1-0 lead.
This season, White’s efficiency shooting the ball has gotten way better thus far. 16 games into the season, White has averaged 10.4 points while shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 45.2 percent from three. The season is still young, so those percentages could change over time.
The highest White’s shot from the field over the course of an entire season – when he’s consistently been in his team’s rotation – is 47.9 percent during the 2018-19 with the San Antonio Spurs, while the highest he’s shot from three is 36.6 percent the following season with the Spurs.