The Celtics aren’t any stranger to having elite facilitating guards. You may go all the best way again to Bob Cousy within the 50s and 60s, Dennis Johnson within the 80s, Rajon Rondo within the late 2000s and early 2010s, and now we’d have to begin speaking about Derrick White in 2026.
White is averaging a profession excessive 5.6 assists on the season, so he won’t seem like Rondo on the floor, however he’s beginning to flip it on recently. In his final 6 video games, White has an absurd 42:8 help to turnover ratio and is averaging 7.0 assists per recreation on this time interval. This uptick in assists may very well be due to a swap within the beginning lineup.
Within the Celtics first recreation because the commerce deadline in opposition to the Dallas Mavericks on February third, Joe Mazzulla determined to maneuver Payton Pritchard to the bench after Boston traded Anfernee Simons to the Chicago Bulls. Pritchard being a former sixth Man of the 12 months winner, naturally has flourished in his return to the position, averaging 22.5 factors, 6.2 assists, and three.5 rebounds, on 52% taking pictures from the sector and 43% from three. This transfer to the bench has allowed Pritchard to not should concentrate on being the first level guard of the staff and be capable to hunt for his shot. This main level guard spot has been bestowed upon Derrick White and it’s secure to say that he’s taking the reigns and working with it.
Derrick White is having a tough offensive season with one in every of his worst taking pictures seasons of his profession at 39% taking pictures from the sector and 33% taking pictures from three. In a much bigger position, his pictures are simply not falling the best way they had been over the previous few seasons. However now that he’s the first facilitator, White doesn’t should concentrate on scoring extra as a result of his playmaking can do the work and he can focus his vitality on persevering with to be an elite defender.
A superb instance of White’s passing changing his scoring is wanting on the factors created coming off his assists. In these final 6 video games, White is averaging 16.3 factors over this time however is taking pictures 36% from the sector and 30% from three. Nevertheless, in 4 of these 6 video games, White has created 20+ factors simply off of his assists alone, with essentially the most being 23 factors in opposition to the Chicago Bulls on February eleventh.
Let’s take a look at his most up-to-date 8 help efficiency in opposition to the Golden State Warriors on February nineteenth. He created 20 factors off his assists, spreading the wealth to 7 completely different teammates. Most of his assists got here throughout the Celtics runs within the first half the place Boston scored 74 factors. His largest got here within the fourth quarter nonetheless, threading the needle to Jaylen Brown for a tricky fadeaway jumper to basically ice the sport after the Warriors rallied again within the recreation.
My favourite assists that White has been in a position to create entails the two-man recreation with the Celtics bigs. Whether or not its Luka Garza, Neemias Queta, or Nikola Vucevic, White has been capable of finding them straightforward buckets. He has been in a position to run the pick-and-roll to perfection, drawing a number of defenders him and discovering his large heart beneath the basket for a simple layup or dunk.
White’s means to search out three level shooters for catch and shoot threes and even on the quick break has been one other spotlight of his. All of his passes are touchdown proper within the taking pictures pocket for guys like Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard, and Baylor Scheierman to take benefit.
One factor that I do marvel is what occurs to White’s means to play-make when Jayson Tatum comes again. If he does come again this season, I count on White’s position to not change very a lot. He may need much less ball dealing with accountability with Tatum on the ground, however that might open him as much as changing into the elite catch-and-shoot man he was prior to now. If not, there isn’t a hurt in having one other ball handler and he might simply proceed what he’s doing this season if Tatum comes again rusty in that space of play in any respect.
Derrick White is sneakily having one of the best season of his profession relating to his protection and scoring, however his playmaking leap is likely to be essentially the most spectacular a part of his 12 months that nobody is speaking about.
