Boston Celtics: Player grades from C’s dramatic Game 1 win

Boston Celtics player grades – Derrick White: C+

Playing the most minutes off the bench with 28, Derrick White lived up to expectations on the defense. He’s the perfect matchup for some of Brooklyn’s smaller guards, recording three steals on Sunday.

Offensively, White never found his true role after the trade deadline, and some of those trends have continued into the playoffs. He looked a little lost and scared of the moment, turning down multiple shots from the perimeter. It’s okay to make the extra pass, but the former San Antonio Spurs guard is going to have to be ready and willing to shoot if he’s going to be a productive player.

White continued to make quick decisions in the offense, converting a crucial drive to the rim in the final minutes of the game. It would be beneficial to see White in more downhill actions to allow him to get to the rim, with both Horford and Theis being able to clean up the mess with their size advantage down low.

It’s not necessarily concerning for White, but Celtics fans would love to see him have more than seven points on three-of-eight shooting.

Boston Celtics player grades – Grant Williams: B-

A similar story to White – he played splendid defense on Kevin Durant, especially in the first half, but Grant Wiliams couldn’t hit his shots from deep when it mattered. He ended with seven points on 3/7 shooting but missed all four of his attempts from beyond the arc.

He was a team-worst -17 in 21 minutes of action, as coach Udoka had to move away from him in crunch time. Williams has the potential to play small-ball center in this series but has to be able to make his shots. Additionally, shooting a pull-up 3-pointer on the fast break didn’t do him any favors, as some of Grant’s decisions were questionable.

On the positive end, his switchability throughout the game was solid, being able to keep up with players both taller and quicker than him. Let’s see how much Udoka trusts the Tennessee product in Game 2.

Boston Celtics player grades – Payton Pritchard: C

The Celtics tried to squeeze out some Payton Pritchard minutes with Kyrie Irving left the floor in the first half, and they turned out nicely. In the second half, PP was sent back on the floor while Irving was still there, and the multiple-time all-star took advantage of his lack of size.

Irving simply shot over the six-foot-one Pritchard, who has no chance of contesting a Kyrie pull-up three effectively. He made his only shot from the perimeter in eight minutes, but cannot see the floor when someone with Irving’s skillset is on the other side.