Celtics’ Derrick White Gets Real On Guarding Cade Cunningham

The Boston Celtics fell to their 11th loss of the season in a 112-105 defeat at the hands of the Detroit Pistons on Monday, Dec. 15. Joe Mazzulla’s team has now lost two straight games, shooting under 35% from deep in both of them.

Cade Cunningham, who is currently fourth on the NBA’s MVP ladder, one spot above Jaylen Brown, had a big night. The All-Star guard ended the game with 32 points on 11-of-21 shooting. He also had 10 assists, four rebounds and a steal to help lead his team to victory.

During his postgame news conference, Celtics guard Derrick White gave an honest assessment of the difficulties defenders face when trying to contain Cunningham’s impact on the game.

“He’s (Cunningham) really good at basketball. I think his size, and he shot it well today too,” White said, via CLNS Media. “I think every game’s going to be difficult trying to slow him down, and obviously made some big plays down the stretch.”

The Celtics used some zone defenses throughout the game to limit the Pistons’ ability to pressure the rim and create out of drives and kicks. However, Cunningham’s movement and three-level scoring gave Detroit the ideal counter.

Cunningham is one of the best offensive guards in the NBA. He’s a true point guard, capable of controlling games and breaking down defenses. White and the rest of Boston’s perimeter defense their its hands full.

Detroit is currently first in the Eastern Conference standings. As things currently stand, Boston would avoid Detroit in the opening round of the playoffs. However, it’s clear that in the coming years, Mazzulla’s team must figure out how to slow Cunningham down. After all, he’s still young and improving. He won’t be going anywhere for a long time to come.