Derrick White reveals one of the masterminds behind his viral competitions

BRIGHTON — Reporters aren’t allowed to watch the Boston Celtics practice. Oftentimes, the scheduled time for media availability is delayed. Thirty minutes goes by. An hour. Sometimes two. And still, the Celtics aren’t ready. But once the curtain at the Auerbach Center raises, revealing a court full of players and coaches splitting off into their own post-practice drills, one group stands out—Derrick White’s.

White always occupies the same space, often with the same set of coaches around him. He works on his three-point shooting, weaving around screens, and even his floater game. The workouts vary, but they always end with a trick shot competition.

And the most recent rendition led to some entertaining discourse once the winner was decided.

Derrick White's trick shot competitions are awesome

On Friday, the trick shot was simple: Carry the ball on the crayon hand (a foam hand extender coaches use to contest shots in practice) until you reach the three-point arc, then hit a floater.

This time around, it was assistant coach Matt Reynolds who stole the show. He hit the shot multiple times before anyone else found success.

White spoke with the media once he wrapped up his trick-shotting, and he revealed that player development coach Ross McMains is often the biggest mastermind behind the ideas.

“Anybody can throw an idea out there,” White said with a smile. “We need as many ideas as we can get, honestly. But Ross is probably the most creative. He came up with that one today. Just kind of figure it out. Usually at the end of my shooting, we just try to think of something real quick.”

Jermaine Bucknor was one of the most common winners last season, but he joined Charles Lee on the Charlotte Hornets for the upcoming season. Now, there’s an opening for anyone to take the cake.

On Friday, White challenged Reynolds, McMains, and Alex Merg. DJ MacLeay got in on the action later on, too, but in the end, Reynolds was the king.

The type of shot often varies. Sometimes, it’s a simple H.O.R.S.E.-type ordeal, and other times, the participants have to run through a bunch of steps before getting their shot up.

Regardless, White’s trick-shot routine has been a regular part of his practices for at least the past year, and lots of coaches have gotten involved. Even when the Celtics hit the road for the playoffs, White was rolling out the red carpet for trick shots.

McMains may be the most creative, but when it comes to winning the competitions, it’s anyone’s game.