Handing out regular season awards to the 2022-23 Boston Celtics
By Ben Grunert
Boston Celtics Defensive Player of the Year: Derrick White
Derrick White took a huge leap this season. The kind of leap that could push a team like Boston over the championship hump.
White blossomed into one of the most impactful players in the league, taking his complete, all-around game to a whole new level.
The former Spur displayed supreme shot-blocking prowess at the guard position, leading guards in total blocks with 76 rejections and finishing second in blocks per game with an average of 0.9 per contest, only trailing Shai-Gilgeous Alexander.
In fact, White swatted the third-most total shots in a season of any guard in the last ten years.
White’s high tendency to block shots and draw charges, along with his on-ball pressure and switchable versatility, should make him a popular candidate for an All-Defensive Team.
White also established himself as one of the most important pieces to the Celtics offense. In fact, one could argue that White emerged as Boston’s third-best player this season.
While White’s counting stats don’t exactly jump out at first glance, the combo guard made a star-level impact that lies beyond the raw numbers.
White led the Celtics in on/off differential with a fantastic +9.3 mark, per Cleaning the Glass. He also played all 82 games, starting in 70 of those contests.
Perhaps most important of all, White revamped his jumper last offseason by getting rid of a small hitch in his shot. After hitting a subpar 31.2% of his 3-pointers the year before, White improved his 3-point percentage to 38.1% this season.
White’s newfound ability to space the floor at a high level only adds to his repertoire. The do-it-all combo guard may have been Boston’s Defensive Player of the Year, but he will prove equally invaluable to his team’s offensive success in the playoffs.