‘Everybody was on board with it’: Derrick White said why he was OK with lineup switch in Celtics’ Game 6 win
White was benched for Robert Williams in Game 6 as the Celtics looked to limit the 76ers' inside scoring.
Prior to Thursday’s Game 6 against the 76ers, Derrick White had been a regular in the Celtics’ starting lineup.
The Celtics guard started all but 12 of the 93 games he played in over the regular season and postseason. But with the season on the line, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla decided to roll with the starting lineup that helped Boston reach the NBA Finals last season.
Mazzulla’s switch worked. Robert Williams, who replaced White, helped set the tone defensively in the game’s opening minutes before scoring 10 points, grabbing nine rebounds, and posting a game-high plus/minus of +18 in 28 minutes to help the Celtics win, 95-86.
White told reporters Saturday that Mazzulla informed him of the lineup switch before it became official. He understood why the change was made and that it helped the Celtics prepare for Game 7 instead of packing their things up from their lockers this weekend.
“I think we all knew it was an option,” White said of the lineup switch. “You’ve got a guy like Rob on your team it’s always an option. We wanted to go with that double-big lineup and everybody was on board with it.”
White arguably had a career year and was a key part of the Celtics winning 57 games in the regular season. He scored 12.4 points per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from deep. On top of that, his strong defense earned him second-team All-Defense honors.
But White had a pair of shaky offensive performances in the Celtics’ losses in Games 1 and 5, scoring 12 total points on 3-of-11 shooting over those two games. With the Celtics struggling to stop Joel Embiid near the basket, inserting the double-big lineup made sense as Williams shaded off of P.J. Tucker to help Al Horford guard Embiid. It also clogged up the lane, making it tougher for 76ers guards James Harden and Tyrese Maxey to drive to the basket.
With the switch to Williams in the starting lineup working, White seemed totally OK taking a reduced role.
“I’ve always just been, it’s all about the team,” White said. “It’s not about me. It’s been that way all year, so whatever the team needs, I’m all in.”
White played in just 19 minutes on Thursday, his fourth-fewest in a game this season outside of games where he was pulled early for rest or left early due to an injury. But he was still effective, scoring nine points on an efficient 3-of-6 shooting (making 3-of-5 3-pointers) and adding in a block plus a steal.
Even though playing off the bench has been rare for him the season, White doesn’t think there’s too much of a difference between being a starter and a role player off the bench.
“I don’t think it changes too much,” White said when asked about a possible change in approach between the two roles. “It’s [still] playing with the same guys. So, I don’t try to change too much. I just try to go out there and help us win.”
Now that a Game 7 date has been secured, White is ready to get going for Sunday’s tilt at TD Garden.
“I’m excited,” White said. “It was loud in Philly, but it’s a whole other level when you come back home here. So, I’m excited for it.”
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