The Celtics have been crushing it all season long, and with Jayson Tatum back in the fold, it feels like they’re kicking it up another notch, getting ready to make a serious run at the 2026 NBA title. One of the biggest reasons for the team’s unexpected success this season has been the consistently stellar play of Derrick White.
White’s conventional stats don’t jump off the page at you, and he’s not having his best shooting season by any means. But he makes the right play on every single possession, he hits the extra pass, he cuts to the right spot, he gets his hands on everything, and he’s one of the smartest players in the league.
His impact on winning almost defies logic, and one of the reasons he has remained underrated for so long and has never made an All-Star Game is that it’s hard to even quantify how much he affects the game in a positive way for the Celtics.
Derrick White opens up in FanSided interview
As part of a partnership with Sam Adams to promote its “Our City. Our Beer.” variety pack, White sat down with Sean Daley of FanSided and opened up about a range of topics, showing off his lighter side and a humble, down-to-earth persona.
Derrick and Sean hit on a number of topics, like Jayson Tatum’s comeback, Jaylen Brown’s MVP-caliber season, playing for Team USA, coming up from a Division II college, and much more. But what really stood out was Derrick’s response to being asked about the term ‘role player’.
“I think that every game calls for something different. Some games I might just be a defender, some games I might need to score a lot. I just try to give the game what it needs and not try to force anything… I pride myself on being able to do a little bit of everything.”
White has the perfect winning mentality
White is far too humble to ever brag about himself, but this is a perfect way of describing what makes him great. He truly just wants to win above everything else, and whatever he can do to give his team the best chance to do that is what he does on a nightly basis.
That kind of mindset makes White as valuable as many of the league’s superstars, and it’s no coincidence that since joining the Celtics, he’s one of the winningest players in the league.
White had plenty of other interesting comments and quotes, and the entire interview is a great listen for all Celtics fans. But perhaps most importantly of all, Derrick revealed the best place to crack open a beer, specifically a Sam Adams: “in the locker room.”