Immediately when Derrick White walked onto the court a few games ago with a new haircut, there was a feeling, the mood around the team was able to shift. Right before the Boston Celtics ended their slumping stretch during the beginning of its homestand, Joe Mazzulla and Jayson Tatum expressed the need for White to be more aggressive on the offensive end. From people calling him a trade chip at the start of the season until now, White has made an extraordinary impact on the court during the Celtics’ four-game winning streak to conclude the calendar year.
Whether it is the new haircut, or him realizing how much more he could bring to this team if he calls his own number more often than not, White has been that much-needed x-factor for Boston as of late. The former Colorado product possesses the fourth-highest +/- in the entire association at +17.3. Of any player that has contributed more than 32 minutes over this four-game streak, White sits alone in the NBA as the leader in the +/- category.
After the win against Minnesota that got the winning streak going, White reflected on what clicked before the game, stating:
"“I just tried to be aggressive…I feel like the last few games I wasn’t really involved, and I just wanted to try to be more aggressive and put my impact on the game a little bit. So I just went out there and tried to put that aggressive foot forward.”"
He has averaged 12.5 points over four rebounds, and 1.5 blocks at the end of the Celtics’ seven-game homestand. His 1.5 blocks as a guard top the leaderboard on the Boston Celtics since the Timberwolves win, more than even Al Horford. He has the second-highest net rating in the league of anyone that has played over 35 minutes in the last four contests, behind only Brooklyn’s Royce O’Neale.
He is shooting a remarkable 60.6 percent from the field, which is the best of any rotational player on the Celtics during this stretch. On the defensive end, the Parker, Colorado native has been Boston’s best defender in the rotation when it comes to defensive rating during this winning streak at 99.6. His block on Paul George at the end of the game against the Clippers to put the contest on ice stands out, but his help defense as a guard has been one of those things people should begin to recognize. White knows how to play Celtic basketball with his IQ and versatility on both ends, and it could be argued that his acquisition might be the best move Brad Stevens has made since his promotion to the front office.
Derrick White is making the unsung plays for the Boston Celtics
Not only was it Derrick White’s willingness to attack the paint, and finish with both hands creatively, he continuously makes those winning plays that are going to show up on the film the next day. The 28-year-old blocked John Wall on a right-hand drive, catching the ball mid-air, and throwing it off of Wall to result in an unneeded Los Angeles turnover. Against the Bucks, White drove on veteran Wesley Matthews and finished a tough left-hand layup that resulted in a basket and a foul. These are just a few of the plays that may not show up on the highlight reel at the end of the contest due to when they happened, but there are ones that truly show what kind of player White has been since the three-game losing streak.
Even though Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have been on a tear offensively, combining for 135 points over the last two contests, it is hard to argue there is anybody more confident on this roster right now than White. Malcolm Brogdon was out due to illness, forcing White to play the most minutes on the floor so far in this campaign. The former Spurs’ guard rose to the occasion in one of the most impressive wins of the season against Los Angeles with the Boston Celtics shooting a dismal 28.2 percent from beyond the arc.
For a player like White, it is going to be a tall task to maintain this kind of stretch consistently, but this winning streak has made one thing clear. This team is better with White putting his imprint on the game more often. Defensively, he is always locked in, and while his shot has always been inconsistent historically, getting to the rim and finishing through traffic is something that completely changes the ceiling of this ball club going forward.