Friday night was special for Derrick White. It marked his one-year anniversary since being traded from the San Antonio Spurs to the Boston Celtics.
And to commemorate the occasion, White delivered an all-time career performance for his fellow Celtics teammates and all in attendance at TD Garden.
The 28-year-old veteran guard kicked off a record-chasing Celtics display, opening the victory over the Charlotte Hornets by going a perfect 6-for-6 from beyond the arc en route to a 26-point first half. With key veterans Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Al Horford all sidelined with injuries, White ensured Boston’s chances to remain in the win column for a third straight game. He finished with a career-high 33 points alongside 10 assists, three rebounds and three blocks.
Now, with one full year in the books in a Celtics uniform, White was surprised by how quickly the time has passed.
“I feel like I’ve been here forever,” White said, as seen on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage. “Even though it’s only been one year. So this year it’s just a lot more settled in, know where I’m going compared to a year ago today where my life kind of just changed at an instant. Like I said, I love being here and it’s been fun playing with this team.”
While Boston drained a franchise-record 16 3-pointers in the first half, White threatened the individual record for outside shots netted in a single game — a record held by Celtics teammate Marcus Smart with 11 triples. White finished three short with eight made in 14 attempts.
“Smart was worried about his record and it was just all fun and games,” White said. “… It was just one of them days.”
Throughout the season, White has flourished in his role as Boston’s secondary guard behind Smart. White’s now averaging 10.9 points with 3.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 45.5% from the field, his best mark since 2019. That steady scoring production, coupled with White’s tremendous defensive grit, has made him a valuable contributor in Joe Mazzulla’s lineup.
As for the Celtics, they have three matchups ahead before Boston takes a breather during the NBA All-Star break, which White doesn’t see as an excuse for the team to change its approach.
“We got what, three games left?” White said. “So these three games are important. We just gotta be locked in, be ready to go and try not to look ahead to that break. So these three games are important.”
