Last season, thanks to Jayson Tatum’s injury, the Celtics needed Derrick White to step into a much bigger offensive role. He struggled to shoot the ball, and as a result, many equated it with White having a down season. And I get it. The counting stats and efficiency numbers certainly weren’t great.
But that’s never been what D-White is about. And while he obviously did struggle shooting the ball, he still managed to make a positive impact on offense with his passing, playmaking, and ball security. But that pales in comparison to what he did on the defensive end.
White was recognized for what he did on defense as he made First-Team All-Defense and finished sixth in voting for Defensive Player of the Year. Everyone understands what an elite team defender White is, how he’s always in the right spot, and almost anchors the defense as a rim protector despite being a guard.
He’s as good as anyone in the league when it comes to off-ball defense, and it’s no surprise he put up a historic season in terms of the blocks and steals he was able to rack up.
But what people don’t realize is just how good White was as an on-ball defender last season. In fact, of all qualified players, White had the highest impact as a point-of-attack defender in the entire NBA, according to a metric from Synergy Sports and SportsRadar. White defended a lot of drives directly and surrendered very few points in those instances.
White was most impactful point-of-attack defender in NBA
Using their metric, he scored a 99 Defensive Impact Rank, best in the league, ahead of other elite point-of-attack defenders like Dyson Daniels (97), Amen Thompson (97), Toumani Camara (93), Cason Wallace (91), and others.
Some of the best point-of-attack defenders in the league. pic.twitter.com/rbexJiR8Uz
— Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) September 5, 2026
Given that he’s a little smaller and less athletic and explosive than some of the guys right below him, White doesn’t normally get mentioned among the league’s best on-ball defenders, but clearly, he should. He may not have some of the flashy highlight plays that his contemporaries on this list have, but the results speak for themselves, and the numbers don’t lie.
As much as fans may have been frustrated with White’s shooting struggles last season, it’s impossible to ignore the ridiculous impact he makes in just about every other part of the game. With Tatum back this season, Payton Pritchard likely getting a bump in usage, and Paul George added to the mix, White’s role should be scaled back to something he’s more used to.
If his shooting is able to bounce back to where it has been in previous years and he continues impacting the game all over the court, there’s a real chance that anyone who was down on White or wanted him traded this offseason is going to look incredibly silly.
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