Derrick White is an understated player who we should be overstating
White doesn't seem to seek the spotlight, but it will find him anyway if his play continues.
Praising Celtics guard Derrick White is a stylish way for a discerning basketball viewer to signal that they know what they are watching — a sign that one can pick out an impactful basketball player even when his contributions are a little understated.
White’s relative anonymity seems to be his preference. He is anti-flash and anti-controversy. In a playoff landscape dotted by Dillon Brooks calling LeBron James old and Draymond Green stomping on Domantas Sabonis’ chest, White drew questions about the sweatshirt he wore to Game 2 that read “W.A.S.H.E.D,” the endearing acronym stands for “We Are Super Heroes Every Day” and comes courtesy of a small brand that celebrates being a father. Reporters searching for an off-the-court anecdote still ask Joe Mazzulla about White’s arrival in Boston, which occurred more than a year ago.
The problem for the insistently understated White is that he keeps doing things like scoring 26 points in Game 2 of the playoffs while shooting 11-for-16 from the floor. His defense against Hawks star Trae Young in Games 1 and 2 made anyone who voted for him to be part of the All-Defensive First Team look prescient (somewhat ironically, he will likely join the much noisier Dillon Brooks on that team if he makes it).
So it falls to the rest of us to overstate White on his behalf.
“Sometimes we talked about [White] being too passive and looking for guys too much, that he’s, like, too good of a guy,” Jayson Tatum said after Game 2. “But these last few games, being aggressive, making the right play, attacking the rim, not necessarily waiting just makes us that much better of a team. We’ve got so many guys, so many weapons offensively that everybody needs to essentially be themselves.”
White says Jaylen Brown has been his most vocal supporter (or instigator).
“Even during the regular season, it was JB in timeouts like, ‘Come on, D, be aggressive. Come on, do what you do,’” White said on Tuesday.
“I tell D-White all the time: Be aggressive, be confident,” Brown added. “… We need him to keep that up.”
In other words, Tatum and Brown — the team’s two superstars, who have been entrusted with the franchise’s future — both support and encourage White in his offensive endeavors.
Their vote of confidence is eminently reasonable when watching how White’s presence colors the Celtics’ offense as whole. In addition to the floor spacing (White has shot 50 percent from 3-point range in the Celtics’ first two playoff games), Mazzulla referenced White’s ability to score quickly, which is a direct result of being able to read the floor quickly. That’s crucial on a team with two players, in Brown and Tatum, who can score confidently in isolation even when they are the primary target of opposing defenses.
Here’s an example: White realizes the Hawks’ defense is scrambled as he brings the ball up the floor, attacks quickly to keep Dejounte Murray on his hip and knocks down a left-handed floater.
Here’s another, where White gets to the rim and scores after Murray attempts … whatever he thought he was going to accomplish pressuring White in the back court.
More important to the Celtics’ 2-0 lead, however, has been White’s defense against Young. The Hawks star needed to be transcendent offensively for the Hawks to have any chance at all against the heavily favored Celtics, especially given his deficiencies on the offensive end.
During the regular season, Young had a positive impact: the Hawks were 6.8 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor despite his defense. Against the Celtics, however, Young was -14 in Game 1 and -18 in Game 2. Single-game plus/minus is a finicky stat, but Young’s plus/minus in Game 2 was 13 points lower than the next closest starter (Clint Capela at -5).
Much of the credit for those numbers belongs to White. We could show you a number of possessions that show White bothering Young into difficult shots, but instead, watch this sequence in the second half.
The Hawks started the half in the first clip with an attempt to get their star guard going early, running a misdirection with Young in the corner. White and Horford read the handoff well, and Horford let White handle things as Young went to the rim. He appeared to have a step, but White, who recorded 11 more blocks than any other guard this season, swatted the shot off the glass.
Then Young scored three straight baskets the only way he has found any consistent success against the Celtics — in transition, or against someone other than White. He almost scored a fourth straight (in the second clip above) when a pick-and-roll appeared to free him from White, but White anticipated when Young would gather and shoot and leapt early. He didn’t block the shot, but the odd timing appeared to disrupt Young’s rhythm. He double-clutched the floater attempt and shot it off the back rim.
Then Young got out in transition again, blowing by Brown to create a 2-on-1 against White. Young had two options, but this time White simply stood in place and waited. Again, that decision appeared to throw Young off. He double-clutched once again and opted for the floater. This time it bounced off the front rim.
We can’t know for certain if White’s block to start the half was in the back of Young’s mind on both floater attempts, but given how thoroughly White has harassed him, it seems like a pretty fair guess. In either case, White’s clever and somewhat unconventional defense alongside Marcus Smart makes the Celtics’ back court very formidable.
“[White] is scoring the ball so well and playing so well on offense, it’s easy to forget about his defense,” Malcolm Brogdon said. “But he’s still blocking shots and doing what he does.”
Much was made over the summer of Brad Stevens’ acquisition of Brogdon, who shored up the Celtics’ bench and added 1-on-1 scoring to complement Tatum and Brown. Much less was made of White, which now looks like a big oversight. After all, White arrived in Boston under head-spinning conditions. He was traded midseason from the lottery-bound Spurs organization that drafted him and spent five years investing in his development, moved into a hotel with his pregnant wife, and joined a franchise with championship aspirations.
Now White is W.A.S.H.E.D. and at ease with his situation. Here’s a tip of the cap to Stevens’ ability to identify not only talent but also the potential for near-perfect symbiosis. Here’s another to White, who will be in no way anonymous if he continues to play this way over the next few weeks.
“I just felt comfortable, and I’m just trying to get better each and every day,” White said. “The team’s doing a great job of just empowering me and helping me out throughout the whole ride.”
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