BOSTON — It took seven threes for pockets to catch fire on Sunday evening. Well, at least it did for Derrick White. As the Boston Celtics struggled to generate consistent offense in the first quarter, White was a shining light. And though he didn’t break out the celebration himself, Boston’s bench made sure to check its pockets for threes when he was draining triples in the opening frame.
“That's his thing,” Jayson Tatum with a smile, discussing White’s pocket-check three-point celebration. “We all partake in it. And that's a great shot for him and for our team.” JD Davison checked his pocket for a three on White’s first triple of the night. Seven threes later, White finally took the time to check his own.
Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis combined to shoot just 15-of-44 (34.1%) from the field in Game 1, but White was there to lift Boston up.
Derrick White morphed into a scorer right when the Celtics needed him to
On one sideline, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner’s incredible efforts were met with an empty field of nothingness from their supporting cast. On the other, rough shooting nights for the Celtics’ Top 3 offensive options were erased by a 30-point master class from White (and 19 points from Payton Pritchard off the pine).
“I think it just comes from guys having an understanding that everyone's a weapon,” Mazzulla said of White’s step-up performance. “Everyone has the chance to impact the game. And like I said, I think Jaylen and Jayson lead in so many different ways, and one of the ways is empowering everybody around them. And so, you know, I think Derrick had 10 points off screens from Jaylen and Jayson there, and that's kind of what it's about.
“Derrick's ability to just impact the game offensively and defensively is huge, and we need everyone to be aggressive. And he does a great job finding shots that are important for us, and he had some physical plays on defensive end. Had a block in transition there that was big for us down there in the second half. So, yeah, he was important.”
White also added four rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two blocks to his impressive statline. He shot 10-of-18 from the field and 7-of-12 from beyond the arc.
His 18 shot attempts ranked second on the team behind Tatum, but White understands that won’t be a nightly occurrence.
The Celtics have built a wall of elite scorers to headline their offense. At its best, Tatum, Brown, and Porzingis are bullying mismatches and dominating the scoring column, leaving White to fill in the gaps.
In a way, that’s exactly what he did on Sunday. But in this instance, there were simply more gaps that needed to be filled.
“I wish every night I'd be the guy to drop 30,” White said with a laugh. “That'd be pretty cool. But just trying to read the game and see where I can put my stamp on the game, I guess. So, I think every game is different. Next game, it might be anybody else on our team.
“So just don't go to the game expecting to get 18 shots or get two shots. So, just be ready for whatever, and be ready when opportunity comes.”
No matter what the Celtics need from him, White is ready, capable, and willing to adapt. And his ever-growing chemistry with this stacked Celtics lineup plays a huge part in his ability to do so.
“I just think we've played a lot of games together,” White said. “We've gone through many battles together and just trust one another. So, guys can trust me to be in a certain spot, and it's my job to get there. And so, obviously, KP, JT, JB are gonna get a lot of attention, and it's my job to kind of fill in those holes and be where I need to be.”
Maybe White will have 15 points in Game 2. Maybe 10. Perhaps he’ll only get five shots a night when the Celtics go down to Orlando for Games 3 and 4. None of that matters.
White has mastered the art of morphing. On one night, he’ll be the lead playmaker. Another, he’ll block five shots and anchor the entire defense. Then another, he’ll shoot 0-of-5 in the first half but make all three of his crunch-time threes.
Ever adaptable and always ready to alter his game for the betterment of the team, White is the Celtics’ ultimate multi-tool. And when they needed him to play scorer in Game 1 in order to get a win over the Orlando Magic, he did just that.
“I think D-White just does a great job of reading the game,” said Tatum. “If the read calls for him to shoot the three, be aggressive, attack his man, he does that. High-IQ basketball player. He makes the right play more often than not, and we just kind of trust him in those positions.”