Derrick White's historic numbers on pace to confirm status in NBA hierarchy

Derrick White doesn't have the makings of a traditional star. He won't consistently light anyone up for 30 or more a game. He's not the Boston Celtics go-to guy when the game is on the line. He's not the guy opponents mark as the one who needs to be stopped at all costs. And yet, when it comes down to it, there's no debate that he is the third banana on one of the NBA's best teams.

Even if his efficiency numbers have taken a bit of a tumble this year, there's not one person in the NBA stratosphere who dislikes White's game. He is the picture-perfect player to put next to a contender's two best players because he does what a team's third-best player should do: cover a ton of ground on both sides of the floor.

If there was any doubt about White's status as a rare specimen, look no further than the record he is on pace to break this season.

While breaking this specific record is very impressive in itself, what's more telling are the names on this list. Dwyane Wade, Dennis Johnson, and David Thompson are all in the Basketball Hall of Fame, meaning White is associating himself with some elite company.

It's solid proof of White being the elite role player every team would want

For some time now, White has been hailed as one of the NBA's most important complementary players, but it has been hard to quantify his impact. Records like these are quantitative proof of why Boston is more than comfortable paying him as much as they are right now.

The funny thing is, the Celtics playing as well as they have despite missing Jayson Tatum for most of the season should also be proof of how important White is. It goes without saying that they probably wouldn't have been at the top of the Eastern Conference if he hadn't been there, but it's not easy to provide concrete evidence for that.

But White being on pace to break the aforementioned record above is enough proof to call him one of the best defensive guards not just currently in the NBA, but also maybe even ever. That is all the proof Boston needs to show why, even if White may never make an All-Star team, he's an indispensable piece.

To pair up one of the best duos in the league with one of the league's best defensive guards sets the Celtics up for years. The good times won't last forever, but Boston knew they had a window when they paired up Jayson Tatum with Jaylen Brown, and knew that to capitalize on it, they got exactly what they needed once they got their hands on Derrick White.