Derrick White’s season-high heading into Wednesday’s NBA Cup finale against the Detroit Pistons was 25 points -- a mark he met in Boston’s opening night loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Since then, this first month of the season hasn’t treated him as kindly as he would’ve hoped. White’s scoring average is down just a point from last year, but his efficiency has dipped significantly, at just 35.3% from the field and 30.3% from beyond the arc.
Many felt he’d thrive in an expanded offensive role with Jayson Tatum sidelined as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon, but that hasn’t been the case.
As frustrating as it’s been for White, it’s been exciting for head coach Joe Mazzulla, as he so aptly put it after the win.
“Whenever he's not playing well, I kind of get excited, because I know when it comes out of it, the other side of that is better... so much better,” Mazzulla explained. “So that's just the trust that I have in him as a player and so, and that has never wavered.”
“So much better” pretty much nails it on the head.
White set a new season-high scoring total with 27 points against the Pistons, matching his old mark in the second half alone. Of course, if he scored 25 of the 27 in the second 24 minutes, then the first weren’t anything special.
They did, however, include one of White’s biggest plays of the evening, according to Mazzulla -- a hustle play turned steal to get the TD Garden faithful into the game.
“Derrick sprints back full length of the floor and gets a back tip, and the entire energy in the Garden shifts,” Mazzulla recalled. “I think, you know, the city, the Garden appreciates, regardless of record or result, I just appreciate that type of mindset, that type of effort, and that's what we brought.”
That sequence made for one of White’s four steals, to go along with a block, too, and ended with a Josh Minott alley-oop to ignite the crowd.
Derrick White went nuclear in the second half of the Celtics' win over the Pistons
White kept the crowd hot in the second half when he came out of the break with an explosive, 14-point third quarter. It wasn’t just scoring for White, though. He played a huge role in Boston’s control of the glass during that span, ripping down six boards in the frame.
There was simply something extra here. There aren’t stats for it. There’s no tracking data.
You feel it.
“It felt good,” White explained postgame. “It felt real good. It just really feels good to help the team win, honestly.”
With White playing at an elevated level, like he was in the third, the true ceiling of this Celtics team became tangible. They looked like the team fans had watched for the past two years, and they were doing it against a Pistons team with the best record in the Eastern Conference, while they were riding a 13-game win streak.
“He’s a champion for a reason,” Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff praised (via WEEI’s Justin Turpin). “And in games like this, guys like that understand what they need to do to help their team win. And he did it.”
White’s understanding of what was needed to win this game went beyond shotmaking. But, it also involved shotmaking.
When the game was up for grabs in the closing minutes of the fourth, “The Buffalo” rose to the occasion. He tallied 11 points in the final 4:33. He didn’t miss a shot, none of which were easy.
I mean, look at this huge triple he sank to give the Cs a four-point lead with just over a minute to play.
DERRICK WHITE CLUTCH pic.twitter.com/TRjNMpaLPv
— NikNBA🏀 (@NIKNBAYT) November 27, 2025
Even with his struggles thus far, White’s made a few big shots for the Cs already. He made a similar triple to give Boston a late four-point lead over the Orlando Magic a few weeks back, then helped them come within one of the Philadelphia 76ers in the closing minutes two nights later.
“I told somebody one game, I was like ‘I might not make anything else, but I’ll make a big one,’” White shared with Hardwood Houdini. “I don’t know what it is, I just try and embrace the moment.”