Like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Celtics Guard Derrick White Thriving After Opportunity

Derrick White needed a change. He got one with the Boston Celtics, and his father says he’s seizing the moment.

While White doesn’t put up the numbers of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Richard White, lumped the two in the same sentence, saying they both simply needed an opportunity. SGA is the leader of a young Oklahoma City Thunder squad making some noise in the Western Conference. White is a member of arguably the best starting five in the NBA and is the guy who makes the Celtics go.

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Derrick White’s Father Said His Son Just Needed a Chance

Back in 2022, the Celtics acquired White in a deal at the trade deadline for Josh Richardson, former first-round pick Romeo Langford, and a top-four-protected 2022 first-round pick. At the time, it seemed like a decent haul for White, a relatively unknown playing for a bad San Antonio Spurs team that won 34 games that season.

Instead, it turned out to be a steal for Boston.

White is the glue to a Celtics team loaded with talent. Boston boasts the best record in the NBA at 52-14 and has a 9.5-game lead over the second-place Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference.

White is arguably the team’s best two-way player. He’s a menace on the defensive end and has shown he can take over a game with his scoring when called upon. With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, White’s role is to act as a facilitator on offense. Richard White said he’s thriving in Boston because he was given a chance, just like Gilgeous-Alexander, who came up with the Los Angeles Clippers and averaged 10.8 points as a rookie. Today, he’s an MVP threat, putting up 31.1 points with the Thunder.

“The main part is just the opportunity,” Richard White said during an interview on the “Garden Report.” “There’s a lot of talented people in the NBA, and you just need to kind of be in the right spot, have the right opportunity, and be ready at optimum peak to take advantage of that opportunity.

“I mean Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was buried with the Clippers, and now he’s got an opportunity with Oklahoma City. Derrick always had the thing where he could do things — he said that when he got there — they’re a good team, I just don’t want to screw it up.”

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White Is No Longer an Under-the-Radar Player With the Celtics

White has made plenty of noise since coming to Boston. He’s the lone Celtics starter whose numbers have improved from a year ago. He doesn’t care about stats or fanfare. He just wants to be a contributor on a winning team. After flying under the radar, he got some well-deserved All-Star consideration this season. While he might not be taking teams by surprise any longer, he quietly goes about his business.

“It’s in his nature to not be as boastful and kind of out front as some other players may be,” Richard White said.

Derrick White is averaging 15.1 points, 5.0 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks on a team loaded with talent.

“He’s been able to fit in seamlessly to do whatever the team needs at that particular moment,” said the elder White. “The other day, Jaylen and (Kristaps Porzingis) were out of the game, and he took on more of an offensive (role) against Utah (24 points, 7-for-11 from 3-point land). Last night (against the Phoenix Suns,) he was working hard on the defensive end.

“The main thing is to just be better than you were the previous year.”

Mission accomplished.

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