Celtics Seeing ‘New Version’ Of Derrick White In NBA Playoffs

BOSTON — Derrick White has been a solid contributor to the Boston Celtics the last two postseasons.

But he has morphed into something almost entirely different this postseason. And the Celtics are reaping the benefits of it.

White has elevated his play to take on a leading role alongside Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. White, along with Brown, was at the center of Boston’s 120-95 thumping of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at TD Garden on Tuesday night.

White finished with 25 points — it was his third straight game with at least that many points — and he stayed red-hot from beyond the arc by knocking down seven 3-pointers to propel the Celtics to a 1-0 series lead.

“He’s been aggressive, taking what the defense gives. Just being a catch-and-shoot threat first off, but taking advantage of his matchups,” Brown said. “Derrick White has grown. He’s a new version that we haven’t seen before. He’s put the work in, his body has developed a little bit, he’s got some more playoff experience and he’s being aggressive. And we urge him to do that. We’re going to need that more and more down the line.”

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The growth of White’s game is evident and Cavaliers star guard Donovan Mitchell sees it, too. In his first postseason with the Celtics two years ago, White shot just 31.3% from beyond the arc. Through six games this postseason, he’s shooting a staggering 50% from 3-point range and is averaging 22.8 points per game, which is more than Tatum.

“I see him on the side (at practice), always working on the type of shots that he knows he’s going to get,” Brown said. “We got certain actions, and those actions, he’s mastered them, like where his shots come from. It’s almost like practice for him because he shoots those shots over and over again. If a guy goes under, if a guy’s out of position, Derrick White feels confident, he takes those shots, and makes those shots.”

White’s ascension has become a luxury for the Celtics as he gives them another stellar offensive option to turn toward. But for opposing defenses, it’s an absolute headache.

“He’s been great,” Tatum said. “I love the way he’s playing on both ends of the court. He’s putting a lot of pressure on the defense. Tonight and last series, we just got a lot of different ways to win games. I would assume it is tough for the other team to kind of try to figure it out.”