Here are Derrick White’s finest moments in a Celtics uniform, according to his teammates
We asked Joe Mazzulla, Paul Pierce, and Jaylen Brown among others to share their favorite Derrick White plays.
Derrick White sat at the podium in the Kaseya Center rubbing his face as he answered questions about his playoff career-high 38-point performance during the Celtics’ 102-88 win against Miami in Game 4.
White drilled eight 3-pointers in the win, which put the Celtics up 3-1 in their Eastern Conference first-round series and gave Boston the opportunity to close out the Heat at home in Game 5 at TD Garden Wednesday night.
But, instead of bragging about his accomplishments, White praised his coaches and teammates for empowering him to become such an impactful player.
“I’m thankful. I’m happy,” White said. “Really, I could have scored zero points if we won. That’s really the important part.”
White is reluctant to brag about the plays he makes, but Boston.com asked coach Joe Mazzulla, White’s Celtics teammates, and Paul Pierce to share their favorites.
Here are Derrick White’s finest moments in a Celtics uniform, according to the Celtics.
Chase-down block on Jimmy Butler
It’s opening night at TD Garden, and the Celtics are hosting the Heat. Jrue Holiday fires a 3-pointer from the top of the key. The ball clangs off the rim, hits the backboard, and falls into the hands of Kevin Love.
As soon as he catches the ball, Love turns and lofts a two-handed full-court outlet pass to Jimmy Butler who appeared to have a breakaway dunk. Butler caught the ball in the paint and had no one between him and the rim.
White was at the 3-point line when the ball first reached Butler. Holiday tipped the pass, forcing Butler to adjust to make the catch and buying White enough time to chase Butler down and block the dunk attempt.
“Just the effort that went into that one, and it was such a momentum shifter for our group,” Al Horford said. “From then on I felt like we really got it going and eventually we ended up winning that game. He had two of those that game, but that first one was very, very special.”
The play came during Kristaps Porzingis’s first home game as a Celtic. Porzinigs said it made a strong impression on him.
“Remembering that situation it was like, ‘D White doesn’t give up on any play’,” Kristaps Porzingis said. “This is the type of guy you want on your team who gives his all on every possession.”
The Game 6 tip-in
The spring semester at the University of Arkansas had wrapped, and Jordan Walsh was back home in Texas working out in preparation for the draft.
He did not know that the Celtics would draft him in the second round a few weeks later. He was just hanging out with friends watching Game 6 of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals.
“I wasn’t even a Celtic yet. I was watching it at home on my projector, it’s like this little big screen or whatever, kind of like a theater room,” Walsh said. “I had a bunch of friends over for a watch party or whatever, and I was like we’re going to win this game, watch. That was definitely one of my favorite moments because I feel like it shows the extra effort that he takes to do the small things.”
Walsh said his friends reactions to White’s game-saving play were either “super happy” or “super sad.” There was nothing in between.
White had the awareness to crash the lane after inbounding the ball to Marcus Smart with three seconds left as the Celtics trailed by one. Smart’s 3-point attempt rimmed out, but White caught the rebound and tipped it in all in one motion as the clock expired. The win extended the series, which Boston lost in seven games.
“I thought that was a great play,” Jaylen Brown said. “But, also it just embodies Derrick White and just staying with it. He’s always in the game, always in the right place at the right time.”
White’s first triple-double
White posted his first career triple-double during a win against the Pistons on March 19 with a 22-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist effort.
Xavier Tillman was at the Salvation Army Boston South End Corps the following day, leading a basketball clinic to celebrate the facility’s newly-renovated gym.
“I don’t know if there’s one play, but he just had a triple-double last night,” Tillman said at the event. “He’s able to do everything, shoot threes, pass the ball, lock up guys whether they’re guards or bigs, it doesn’t matter, and he’s one of those guys who leads by example. He’s one of those guys who you can watch and say he’s giving 100 percent effort each and every day.”
Winning the Auerbach Award
White is the latest recipient of the Red Auerbach Award, which is given annually to the player or coach who best embodies what it means to be a Celtic.
Longtime Celtics captain Paul Pierce, a two-time winner of the award, praised White for his versatility and basketball IQ.
“I said this in training camp after I watched training camp this year,” Pierce said. “I’ve been a fan of Tatum and Brown. Derrick White is my favorite player on the Celtics. Me being a hooper, there’s so many things that I see that he does, winning things, that nobody sees and casual (fans) wouldn’t notice.”
“He has the intangibles of a player that every superstar would want to play with. He just fills in the gaps with so many little things,” Pierce added. “Like, if you need him to guard this guy, if you need him to bring the ball up, if you need one stop, there’s so many things that he brings to the game. He’s an unbelievable player, his IQ is off the charts. In a lot of ways, he and Jrue (Holiday) are similar. He’s probably like a younger version of Jrue Holiday because they do a lot of the same things.”
It’s no coincidence that the two plays that stuck out the most to the Celtics happened against the Heat. The two teams have met during four of the last five playoffs, and White is building a reputation as a clutch playoff performer.
But it’s the little things he does daily that leave Mazzulla impressed.
“I would say it’s more how he carries himself, who he is as a person as a player. I’d say he represents everything it means to be a Celtic and a great teammate,” Mazzulla said. “So, no, there’s not one play, there’s probably a thousand plays. A thousand things he does in practice, in the locker room, and off the court that lead to that. I don’t think anyone is as deserving as he is.”
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