These Stats Show Just How Much Derrick White Is Carrying the Celtics
Derrick White is the Celtics' Swiss-Army Knife
During the offseason, Brad Stevens parted with Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday via trades. He also waved goodbye to Luke Kornet and Al Horford, who both left the franchise in free agency.
With Jayson Tatum also sidelined for most, if not all, of the 2024-25 NBA season, it was clear that others within the rotation would need to step into more prominent roles.
No one within Boston’s roster has dealt with a bigger adjustment period than Derrick White. In Holiday’s absence, he’s become the primary defender, both on the perimeter and when roaming on the inside. According to DunksandThrees, White is second on the Celtics’ roster for Defensive Estimated Plus/Minus with a +1.7 impact. He’s only behind rookie Hugo Gonzalez, who leads the team with +1.8.
However, White has also taken on some of the gaps left by Tatum’s absence, making him Boston’s primary ball-handler and playmaker while also stepping into a secondary scoring role.
NBA Stats has tracked White as leading the Celtics in touches, which is a key indicator of playmaking load, with 80 per game. He’s also atop Boston’s passing charts, with 58.9 per night. And, in terms of shot attempts, he’s second to Jaylen Brown, taking an average of 15.8 per game.
There’s no doubt that both Payton Pritchard and Jaylen Brown have also seen their roles increase this season. However, neither of them is carrying the type of two-way load that White has taken on.
On Tuesday, White set a career-high for blocks in a single game and earned praise from both Joe Mazzulla and Will Hardy. As these stats show, White is a vital part of Boston’s rotation this season and is a key reason why the team is sitting third in the Eastern Conference.
It will be interesting to see how much this role improves his game once Tatum returns to the rotation and White slides into his natural tertiary role.
