All-Star bid-costing January slump over for Boston Celtics guard

Derrick White's January slump -- which likely cost the Boston Celtics guard him a bid to the 2024 NBA All-Star Game -- appears to be fully over according to CelticsBlog's Daniel Poarch; who recapped White's involvement in the C's 129-124 win on January 30 at the TD Garden over the Indiana Pacers..

"Nobody started out quicker this evening than White, who appears to have fully broken out of a January slump that has seen him shoot just 38% from the field for the month," Poarch prefaced before saying, "White was crucial down the stretch of Monday’s win over the Pelicans, making plays on both ends of the floor in crunch time to secure the win, and that high level of play carried over to this game. He scored 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting for the night, and recorded a crucial block on a corner three-point attempt to help secure the game for Boston. Not a bad way to break a slump."

Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley had made the case for White to be an All-Star back in December based on his splits -- all of which lack the context to get No. 9 to Indianapolis.

"White is regarded as a 94th percentile stopper by Dunks & Threes' defensive estimated plus/minus metric," Buckley prefaced before saying, "For context, that puts White on the same tier as Giannis Antetokounmpo, a former Defensive Player of the Year, and OG Anunoby, an All-Defensive second-teamer last season.

"Look beyond White's surface stats and toward his impact on winning at both ends, and it's clear he's more than just a contender for an All-Star spot—he's deserving of a career-first selection."

Narrative shifts in Derrick White's season, but not Boston Celtics'

The Celtics won't be sending more than two All-Stars despite all the hoopla, but the aforementioned hoopla has not faded as the 2023-24 season has progressed. White is undeniably an integra; part of it, just not an All-Star part of it.

And that's fine. Jayson Tatum is on the cusp of MVP candidacy and Jaylen Brown is proving he belongs in more All-NBA conversations moving forward. Kristaps Porzingis is a legitimate third option.

White being an All-Star would've been the cherry on top, but that doesn't mean the Cs won't still end up on top.