BOSTON — Derrick White has been a solid player for the Boston Celtics since arriving at the trade deadline during the 2021-2022.
Since joining Boston, the 29-year-old has simply gotten better and better as his emergence in a Celtics uniform continues. On Friday night, White truly took over the game.
In a solid 119-111 win over the reigning Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, White led the Celtics with 28 points as a three-point sharpshooter while excelling both ways with three blocks on defense, including two major rejections on Jimmy Butler.
“He’s a competitor,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said after the win. “He’s consistent. The plays he made tonight were sick. That’s the only way you can describe it. That’s just what he does. He has the humility to do what’s best for the team. When his number is called, he shows up, regardless of what’s happening. It’s big for us.”
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“I think his confidence level just continues to rise as he’s gotten more comfortable with us and in his own skin,” Jayson Tatum explained. “The talent has always been there. He’s starting to show more emotion.”
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With improved confidence instilled from Tatum and Jaylen Brown as his career continues with the Celtics, White is starting to play as his best version of himself.
“Credit to those guys on just giving me the confidence and trusting me that I’m going to try and make the right play each and every time,” White said. “Hearing it from some of the top guys in the league that they want me to be aggressive. It obviously gives you more confidence. Joe has given me confidence from the second he stepped into the head coaching position. All those combined, I just gotta go out there and be aggressive.
“I’ve been an advocate for D-White since he joined the team two years ago,” Tatum added. “I always try to tell him to be more aggressive.”
White knows that as a starter in the new lineup, his leadership as a returning player matters on the court.
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“I’ve been here for a couple of years, so I know where people are supposed to be at,” White explained. “I’m just trying to get people in the right spots. Lead from that way.
“Just more and more comfortable with where I’m at,” White added.
Tatum and Brown make the Celtics a contender. Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday make the Celtics a championship favorite. If Derrick White captures his rhythm of the home opener, the possibilities are endless for Boston.
Featured image via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
