Brian Windhorst of ESPN made waves when he stated that the Boston Celtics believe that Derrick White had the better season than Jaylen Brown in 2025-26. Windhorst also stated that many around the NBA believe White is a better value player than Brown.
For as deserving as White is of the praise he's received, none of it changes the fact that his abysmal inefficiency will continue to cost the Celtics wins until he addresses it.
White is an elite defensive player and the epitome of a glue guy. Wherever there appears to be a hole in the Celtics' strategy, he plugs it with invaluably timely contributions. That simply can't be glossed over in any conversation about him.
After all, games are played on a basketball court rather than a piece of paper or a computer screen. As such, players who can do the little things will always be better than some numbers suggest.
The harsh reality facing White, however, is that he's far too involved on offense to be as inefficient as he's been. That's particularly true after Boston traded Brown, its leading scorer in 2025-26, and entrusted its offense to Jayson Tatum and Paul George—both of whom have question marks revolving around their health and availability.
If the Celtics are going to return to the realm of the contenders, then White will need to get back to shooting with at least some level of efficiency.
Derrick White must rediscover efficiency for Celtics to contend again
White averaged a career-best 16.5 points per game in 2025-26, also setting a new high in field goal attempts at 14.4. Unfortunately, he also shot just 39.4 percent from the field and 32.7 percent from beyond the arc—a sharp decline from the .454/.387/.871 slash line he posted between his first three full seasons with the Celtics.
It got even worse during the playoffs, during which White shot 32.1 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from three-point range—shooting 9-of-26 during Game 7 of the Celtics' first-round loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
It was an unfortunate shift from White raising his game as a scorer under pressure to crumbling beneath it. In 2023-24, for instance, he averaged 15.2 points per game during the regular season and 16.7 during the playoffs. In 2024-25, White made an even bigger jump from 16.4 to 18.8.
Unfortunately, White averaged just 11.1 points per game during the 2026 postseason. Though his impact ranges far beyond scoring, the importance of his production remains relevant.
Perhaps George and Tatum will thrive as a duo, Payton Pritchard will take a step forward, and White will be able to settle into a lower-volume role as a scorer. Even if that transpires, however, Boston will need their starting guard to make shots with anything resembling efficiency to have a shot at a title.
White deserves the praise he's received for his brilliance as an all-around player, but discarding efficiency in its entirety is tantamount to forgetting that shots need to be made to win games.
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