BOSTON — No one on the Boston Celtics has had a tougher December shooting the basketball than guard Derrick White.
White has been horrendous this month, shooting a measly 25.8% from the floor and — shield your eyes — an even worse 21.6% from 3-point range heading into Friday’s matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves. To make matters worse, the sixth-year pro had missed 17 of 19 shots in the first three games of Boston’s current homestand.
With White struggling mightily, Celtics star Jayson Tatum had a brief, yet pointed message for his teammate prior to facing the Timberwolves that seemed to help unlock White’s game.
“The first play was kind of for him,” Tatum said following Boston’s 121-109 win at TD Garden. “I told him before jump ball, I just looked him, I said, ‘Yo, be aggressive.’ He hasn’t been shooting the ball well, but we need him to be aggressive. D White is the ultimate teammate and somebody that everybody would love to play with. Just let him know that we need him and I love playing with him and I need him to be aggressive.”
White sure heeded Tatum’s words and attacked the basket from the opening whistle. The veteran guard scored eight points within the first seven minutes of action as three of his made shots during that span came from within the restricted area.
The aggressiveness propelled White to shoot 8-of-13 from the field with 18 points — his highest point total since Nov. 18 — and his attacking mindset got the approval of Tatum.
“I just loved the way he kind of came out to start the game being aggressive from the jump,” Tatum said.
Getting downhill certainly aided White, but he may have helped his own cause in a different and more unique way.
Who knows if White is superstitious, but he showed up to the game sporting a new haircut.
“He cut his (expletive) off,” Tatum said. “He looked good. He looked a little younger. But he said it was getting wild, so freshen up a little bit.”
Feel good, play good, right? It at least worked for White against the Timberwolves.
