Derrick White received a message about ‘greatness’ from Joe Mazzulla before breaking out of his slump
Mazzulla said he reminded the Celtics guard of his greatness before the Celtics' victory in Minnesota.
December was a forgettable month for the Celtics in general and Derrick White in particular.
White said during a postgame interview Thursday with NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin that he hadn’t been playing well, and coach Joe Mazzulla said that he agreed with White’s statement.
White shot 41.7 percent from the field in December, which is significantly below his career average of 45 percent. He averaged 2.1 turnovers per game, up from 1.6 the previous month. The Celtics as a whole looked sluggish at times on the defensive end, and the inconsistent effort led to a 7-6 record for the month.
But, White began the new year with a strong performance Thursday night, netting 26 points and making five of his 10 3-point attempts. He didn’t have any turnovers as he took on some of the scoring load that the Celtics were missing without Jaylen Brown. Half of his points came in the fourth quarter
Mazzulla was asked what he said to the slumping White to help him snap out of his funk before the Celtics’ victory in Minnesota.
“Just remind him of his greatness. He has the ability to impact the game in different ways,” Mazzulla said. “I just thought he was great tonight and obviously his shotmaking but just getting us into our offense, making sure the start of the second and the fourth goes the way that it should go, and then defensively his ability to guard different guys.”
Jayson Tatum said the clutch performance is an example of what White brings to the table.
“Derrick is so important to our team,” Tatum said. “I think the rest of the league and the rest of the world understands his value, how talented he is, and how much he contributes to us on a nightly basis.”
“Just very fortunate to have a guy like D-White who can handle the ball, take guys off the dribble, obviously he’s an excellent shooter. Things he does on the defensive end, he’s just a big-time player. He makes big-time plays in the game.”
White is currently 10th in the All-Star voting for Eastern Conference guards, trailing first-place LaMelo Ball by more than 800,000 votes. This upcoming stretch will be crucial for White as he attempts to secure his first NBA All-Star appearance.
Fans, media, and players each play a role in picking the All-Star starters, but the coaches pick the All-Star reserves.
As he breaks out of his slump, White will need to convince the coaches that he’s worthy of a spot. He made his first Olympic appearance with Team USA this past summer. On Jan. 30, when the All-Star reserves are announced, White will find out whether or not he’s heading to San Francisco for All-Star Weekend.
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