With 39 games in the books, the Boston Celtics are closing in on the midway point of the 2025-26 campaign. And if the season ended today, one NBA insider thinks that Derrick White would earn himself a major award.
It’s been a bit of an odd season for White, as he has struggled to shoulder a larger load offensively with Jayson Tatum on the sidelines. White’s per-game numbers are solid (18.6 PPG, 5.2 APG, 4.4 RPG), but he’s shooting a career-low 39.7% from the field, with his three-point percentage also falling to 33.1%.
Defensively, though, White has remained a stalwart, as he’s averaging career highs in both blocks (1.5) and steals (1.3) per game. Add in White’s ability to guard every position on the floor, and Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints believes that he should be the current frontrunner to win the Defensive Player of the Year Award.
“White and Evan Mobley are the only players in the league averaging at least 1.5 blocks and a steal per game, but what separates the Celtics guard from everyone else in terms of Defensive Player of the Year is his versatility to guard virtually any position with great success,” Siegel wrote.
“He is always diving for 50-50 balls, creating scoring opportunities off defensive stops, and he’s the only true guard in the league averaging over one block per game.”
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Guards rarely receive much recognition in the DPOY discussion, but if there’s a guy who should be in the conversation for the position right now, it’s White. Long considered one of the top perimeter defenders in the league, White has taken his game on this side of the ball to another level this season.
There’s still a lot of basketball left to play this season, but if White keeps up this level of production, voters may not be able to ignore him when it comes time to vote for the DPOY. Boston will return to action on Thursday night for a clash against the Miami Heat.
Featured image via Brian Fluharty/Imagn Images
