As of Wednesday afternoon, the Boston Celtics hold a very underwhelming 3-5 record to begin the season. The unfortunate reality is that the first two weeks of this campaign have featured a very disappointing stretch from Derrick White, and the Celtics are likely not going to going to be able to reach anything close to their full potential until he snaps out of this funk.
Through the first eight games of the season, White is averaging 14.4 points but on positively dismal shooting splits. He is making just 31% of his shots from the floor, while connecting on just 26.3% of his three-point attempts. From the free throw line, he's been excellent, making just under 90% of his shots from the charity stripe. It's the live action attempts that are going to have to see an increase in efficiency for Boston to succeed.
For a player that's so often a total joy to watch given his typical high IQ and efficiency, White's shooting slump seems to be reaching a breaking point. He is missing open looks, doesn't have his usual confidence in attacking, and simply doesn't look like the player Celtics fans know him to be. He's still playing heavy minutes at 32.3 per night, but these recent struggles have made Derrick almost a non-factor offensively despite his usage.
Derrick White's poor shooting has to improve
The issue is not just that White is missing a lot of shots, it's also that he's still taking a lot of them. Boston's offense tends to treat him like a sort of release valve when the defense is collapsing on Jaylen Brown (or Jayson Tatum when he's healthy), but now those possessions are coming up empty. He's essentially shooting the Celtics out of their rhythm, and the ripple effect is that their half court sets are feeling the consequences.
Generally, Derrick is still defending like Celtics fans expect him to and doing a lot of the little things that typically make him successful. But right now, Boston simply needs him to hit his open shots and keep the defense honest. His impact defensively is still being overshadowed by his collapse offensively, particularly when opponents are daring him to shoot.
An extended cold stretch like this to begin the season can naturally affect a player's confidence level. White has shown some hesitation, passed up some looks, and rushed other ones. That's a sign of a guy being in his own head.
Once he's able to reset mentally, it's likely that we'll see him return to being the efficient two-way guard that always raises Boston's ceiling. It feels like the Celtics are running in place right now, but they'll have the chance to reach their full potential once Derrick White returns to being himself.