The Boston Celtics did not meet expectations last year, especially after winning 56 games and finishing No. 2 in the Eastern Conference. They built a 3-1 lead against the Sixers in the first round of the playoffs and proceeded to watch the wheels fall off from there, losing three straight to fall in seven games. Star guard Derrick White ranked among the biggest culprits in the loss, shooting 32.1% from the field and 27.3% from the 3-point line.
That was a poor showing for White, but the fact is, his shot was a problem all season–he made just 39.4% from the field and 32.7% from the 3-point line. Those were career-worst numbers, re-igniting a concern about him from back when the Celtics first acquired him in a trade with the Spurs–that White’s shot was too inconsistent.
Coming out of that disappointment, and in the midst of a wild Celtics summer that saw Jaylen Brown traded to Philadelphia, White admitted he was not great in 2025-26.
Career-Worst Showing from Derrick White Last Year
Asked by Celtics reporters in Las Vegas what his approach was to this summer, especially with the Brown trade, White confessed he needs some work to get back where he was. Remember, he shot 40.9% from the field and 30.6% from the 3-point line in half-a-season after arriving from San Antonio in 2022, but seemed to fix that in the ensuing years.
White shot 45.4% and 38.7% from 2022-25. Then came last year.
“Honestly, I just wanted to attack the summer and get better,” he said. “Obviously, I don’t think I played that great last year, so that’s kind of what I’ve been focusing on this whole summer. That hasn’t really changed with the trade, but, obviously, just reach out to JB and tell him thank you for everything he did for me. Just know how much he meant to me. I gotta shoot it better obviously. But there are a lot of little things I want to work on.”
Celtics Add Mitchell Robinson, More
The Celtics did make moves besides the trading away of Brown this summer, of course, adding Paul George in the Brown trade and signing veteran point guard Mike Conley. Maybe most significant is the addition of center Mitchell Robinson, and keeping him healthy and productive should be a key for the Celtics.
Said White: “Mitch has been a pain to go against for us for many years now, so it’s going to be great having him on our team, and someone that is one of the best rebounders in the league and obviously a great defender as well. So it’s going to be great having him on our side.”
Derrick White: Celtics Have ‘Same Mindset and Expectations’
Put it all together, and White does not foresee expectations for the Celtics changing much in the coming year.
He said: “I don’t think so. I mean, when the ball goes up, whenever our first game is, everybody’s gonna expect us to win and want us to win, and so we’re gonna have the same mindset and expectations, and we gotta go out there and attack it.”
Celtics’ Derrick White Makes Admission on Last Year’s Struggles