It’s been almost four years since the Boston Celtics landed Derrick White in a trade deadline day deal with the San Antonio Spurs. Since joining the team, White developed his game to make himself an essential piece to the 2024 NBA Championship team and now a franchise staple in Boston.
The 31-year-old’s contract and his two-way production make him pretty much untouchable for the Celtics.
It hasn’t always been that way, though. White’s fit wasn’t clear at first. He was still defending at a high level, but his three-point shot wasn’t as consistent as it’s been over the past few seasons.
Even with that being the case, White and the rest of Boston’s core helped the franchise reach the 2022 NBA Finals, just months after his arrival. It was there that White had a career-changing experience, thanks to Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green.
“So, Game 1, I hit like six threes. Then he went on his podcast and was like, ‘Derrick hit six threes, but like, that’s not gonna beat us,’” White explained on a recent episode of his White Noise Podcast. “In my mind, I was like, ‘I know what he’s talking about.’ In the long run, it didn’t beat them. That was a real motivating thing for me to get in the gym, to get my shot more consistent so nobody guards me [like that] or treats me like that. If they leave me open, I’m gonna make them pay. That was a big turning point for my career. I know going in that they weren’t going to guard me, and I couldn’t make them pay. Now teams can’t do that.”
The numbers completely back up Green's career-changing impact on White
At the time, Green was right to feel unmoved by White’s long-range outburst in Boston’s Game 1 win over his Warriors. The former Colorado standout shot just 30.6% from beyond the arc through his first 26 games as a Celtic. In the playoffs, he was only slightly better, knocking down 31.3% of his threes.
All it takes is a trip to White’s Basketball Reference page to see the stark difference in his long-range efficiency in the seasons following Green’s public criticism. White shot 38.1% the following season, then 39.6%, and 38.4% in 2024-25.
For Celtics fans, he’s become a player that they can feel confident in any time he squares up to shoot. Though White has struggled to be as efficient this season, there’s no reason for fans to worry about his game in the long run.