Jaylen Brown calls Derrick White NBA’s most underrated player
“I think Derrick White has been excelling his game at a rapid pace, so it’s been kind of hard for fans to keep up with.”
When asked who he thinks the NBA’s most underrated player is, Jaylen Brown didn’t hesitate with his answer.
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The Celtics’ star confidently called his teammate Derrick White the league’s most underrated athlete while fielding questions at All-Star Media Day on Saturday.
“I think Derrick White has been excelling his game at a rapid pace, so it’s been kind of hard for fans to keep up with,” Brown said. “Derrick White can ball, man. You let him get hot, he can go for 30 any night. He can score the ball, guards, plays both sides. I’mma say Derrick White.”
White, who has started all 51 games he’s played for the Celtics this season, was not named an NBA All-Star this season. His coach, Joe Mazzulla, may agree with Brown’s sentiment considering his response to White’s snub.
“Clearly winning is not important, huh?” Winning’s not valuable,” Mazzulla told reporters last week when asked about All-Star replacement selections. “How could you not put both guys (Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White) in? Winning’s not the most important in the league.”
NBA head coaches selected the Raptors’ Scottie Barnes and the Hawks’ Trae Young as replacements for injured players over White.
White is averaging 15.6 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game while averaging 32.3 minutes each contest as a key Boston starter. Defensively, White’s recording 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steals per game.
If he stays on pace, all of those stats would be career bests for White. He averaged 12.4 points, 3.9 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game last season and less than one steal and block per game.
His Celtics own a league-best 43-12 record at the All-Star break – the only team in the NBA to reach 40 wins so far.
When asked about not being named an All-Star this season, White remained humble.
“Just being in the conversation and hearing all that was good enough for me,” White said following Wednesday’s win against the Nets. “I knew it was probably going to be a long shot but to be in the conversation was cool. … Obviously it would have been cool to play in the game. … I’m not too bummed out about it.”
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