Watch: Celtics’ Derrick White spins mid-air for acrobatic block
Phoenix's Royce O'Neale made a smooth move inside to avoid the contested look, but White would not be denied the transition stuff.
There are few, if any, guards in the NBA that make as much of an impact on the defensive end as Derrick White does for the Celtics.
On Saturday, White somehow dug deeper into his bag of tricks defensively.
In the second quarter of Saturday night’s Celtics-Suns clash, Derrick White found himself one-on-one against Royce O’Neale in transition. White was looking for the block, and jumped to his left to contest the layup when it looked like O’Neale was heading up.
Instead, O’Neale went across White’s body to the left, making what appeared to be a perfect play to secure an easy bucket at the rim. With White, though, there’s no such thing as an easy bucket.
White turned his body and arm mid-air and reached out to stab the ball away from O’Neale, earning an acrobatic block and one of his best of the season.
White is averaging an absurd 1.2 blocks per game from his point guard spot. As of Saturday night, that average was the highest in the NBA among players 6-foot-7 and under. Bear in mind, White is only 6-foot-4.
While White’s potential All-Star candidacy came and went with little more than a murmur outside of New England, the Celtics’ guard does have a legitimate chance at a first-team All-Defense nod this season. Saturday’s block alone should increase those odds.
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