One of the nice things that we’ve seen from Celtics star guard Derrick White during his tenure in Boston has been that, after a shaky start in the aftermath of his 2022 trade from the Spurs, he quickly put aside a difficult shooting stretch and became a reliable option from just about anywhere on the floor. White shot 40.9% from the field and 30.6% from the 3-point line in the aftermath of that trade, and it appeared his shooting woes would be part of Celtics career.
But White shot 46.2% from the field and 38.8% from the 3-point line in his first full season with the Celtics, and continued to be above average in those categories for two more years after that. That’s why last year’s slide back into poor shooting numbers–39.4% from the field and 31.7% from the 3-point line–was especially worrisome. White’s reputation for inconsistency had seemed to be a thing of the past.
Derrick White: Confidence Was an Issue
White is confident, though, that he will put last year behind him for the Celtics. In an interview with SI.com’s Jon Karalis, he seemed to understand what went wrong last season, and why he let himself get into his own head once the struggles started.
“I think I started off slow, and then it kind of messes your mind …” White said.
“You start tweaking some things that you probably shouldn’t need to tweak, and then it kind of just snowballs into what I had. So I think it starts with just having a good foundation, getting back to doing things that I’ve done my whole life, and issue with confidence after that.”
Celtics Need Better Production
Certainly, the Celtics can’t afford any lapses in confidence from White this season, not with Jaylen Brown gone and White perhaps looking at a bigger role behind Jayson Tatum. Paul George will mostly slide into the Celtics’ second-option role, but he won’t shoot nearly as much as Brown, and should create more opportunities for White, Payton Pritchard and others.
White is still considered among the best two-way guards in the NBA, a versatile presence the Celtics badly need. He was hard on himself during his slump last season, which carried into the playoffs–he shot 32.1% from the field and 27.3% from the 3-point line in the postseason.
Said Celtics chief Brad Stevens, “Derrick White is having a, you know, everybody’s going to focus on his shooting, but every time he’s on the court, we win by a lot.”
Celtics Star Ready for Bounce-Back After Difficult Season