The Boston Celtics will help Derrick White set a new career-high in points per game and grant his wish of being the guy. Fans may remember the 6’4 guard shared his desire to drop 30 every night and be the top scoring option after dominating the Magic in Game 1 of their opening round playoff series in 2025. He will now take over as the 1A with Jayson Tatum out. On the nights when teams sell out to stop Jaylen Brown, the Celtics will need a star performance from White.
White averaged a career-high 16.4 points per game last season, and it increased to 18.8 each night in the playoffs. Fans will remember he dropped 34 in Boston’s Game 5 win over the Knicks, which was the first contest without Tatum. The 31-year-old is in his prime and ready to take on more as the Celtics look to push for the playoffs.
Boston traded Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis this offseason and watched Al Horford and Luke Kornet depart in free agency. The roster will look very different, but this is White’s chance to prove he can be a consistent 20-point-per-game scorer on a contending team.
Celtics will grant Derrick White’s desire to be offensive focal point
Tatum and Brown combined to average 49 points per game last season. The Celtics lost 66.4 points each night when factoring in their departures and injuries from last year's squad. There will be touches and shots available. White is their second-leading healthy scorer. Expect him to take over 15 shots per game and have every chance to vault up to the 22-plus points each night Brown scored in 2025.
White is clearly committed to the Celtics and has become a crucial piece of their core. Boston has no plans of trading him amid their retool. White is a lockdown defender, an elite shooter, and the perfect fit in head coach Joe Mazzulla’s system.
The two-time All-Defensive guard has never taken more than 12.6 field goal attempts per game, but that will soon change. Expect Boston to create ways to get him open and keep feeding him the ball. White may take ten 3-pointers per game this season and will get to show the world what he can do as a primary scorer.
Celtics fans can expect Derrick White to be efficient and effective. Boston wouldn’t have put him in this position if they didn’t think he would succeed.
This will be a chance to grow and expand his game to offer even more when Jayson Tatum returns. The Celtics made moves to dodge the NBA’s spending restrictions, but White will remain a crucial piece if Boston plans to return to title contention in 2027. His ability to do more will certainly help, as the Cs won’t match the depth of their 2024 championship squad.
The Boston Celtics are granting Derrick White his longtime wish. It is the least they can do, considering Tatum is likely out for the season and Boston is still retooling their championship roster. Fans have seen White go to another level, so don’t be surprised to watch him thrive in a larger role. This is just what the doctor ordered for all parties involved.