While Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown continue to get all the headlines for the Boston Celtics, Derrick White continues to impress.
White moved into the starting lineup after the Celtics traded veteran guard Marcus Smart for center Kristaps Porzingis in a three-team deal during the offseason. While Porzingis has been just what the team needed, he’s blown away by how good White has been.
Kristaps Porzingis Amazed By the Play of Derrick White
Although Porzingis has missed some time with calf and ankle injuries, he’s proven to be just what Boston needed. Thin in the frontcourt, the Celtics brought in Porzingis to help clog the middle on defense and create a matchup problem on offense.
He’s been a rim protector on defense. He spreads the floor on offense with his 3-point shooting. With Porzingis, White, Tatum, Brown, and Jrue Holiday, the Celtics have the most talented starting five in the NBA, and that has translated into the league’s best record of 23-6.
Porzingis led the way for the Celtics with 28 points and 11 rebounds in a convincing 126-115 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas. While Porzingis was impressive, he couldn’t say enough about White.
Kristaps Porzingis: “I didn’t realize how good D-White was… he makes the right play all the time & that’s the perfect teammate”
White went 8-for-13 from the floor in scoring his 18 points. He also dished out a game-high 11 assists. Porzingis said he had no idea the seventh-year guard from Colorado was this good.
I didn’t realize how good D-White was,” admitted Porzingis, according to NBC Sports Boston. “He’s kind of like under the radar a little bit, but, man, he’s special.
“The way he plays, like 90-plus percent of the time, he makes the right play. That’s the perfect teammate you want. On top of that, he’s shooting great percentages and being super efficient. I mean, yeah, he’s special, man. I’m happy I have both of those guys on my team — Jrue and D-White.”
This Isn’t the First Time Porzingis Singled Out White
Although White doesn’t get the notoriety of Tatum or Brown, he’s making a strong case for himself to take part in his first NBA All-Star Game. He’s shooting 49.5% from the floor and averaging a career-high 16-6 points. He’s also averaging 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 87.7% from the free-throw line. White is one of the best shot-blocking guards in the league. He led the Celtics in that category a year ago.
Earlier this month, Porzingis gushed over White, saying he’s much more than the statistics he’s compiling.
Kristaps Porzingis on Derrick White: “More and more people are talking about it now but I think he’s still very underrated.”
“More and more people are talking about it now, but I think he’s still very underrated,” Porzingis said recently, per NBC Sports Boston. “He’s already put up some great stats, and his numbers are really good. But if you don’t watch the game, what you don’t see is all the steals, something like when he recovers on defense when he’s super late, and somehow he gets a steal.
“He can change the game, change the momentum. He’s really good at that. I think if you don’t watch the game, you don’t see. But when you watch the game, you realize how good and how important he is.”
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Kristaps Porzingis Still Can’t Get Over How Good Derrick White Is