NBC Sports Boston's Chris Forsberg believes there's a case to be made for Derrick White being the Boston Celtics' second most impactful player behind Jayson Tatum during the still-young 2023-24 season.
"There’s a case that, beyond only Jayson Tatum, White has been the second-most impactful player on the Celtics’ roster," Forsberg prefaced before saying, "His stat line doesn’t necessarily pop the way it does for some of his other teammates, but White is a big reason why those players are thriving, too."
The White love is flowing these days, as Forsberg wasn't the only analyst to speak to No. 9's ascending greatness. Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley shared multiple "hot takes" about the Celtics' season two months in, and White being named an All-Star for the first time was one of them.
"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."
Derrick White propaganda will be weaponized against Jaylen Brown by Boston Celtics detractors
Boston sports -- and by extension, top stars in any sport across the city -- are treated differently by the media; almost in a way designed to drive that player out of Beantown. Hence, you may see all of this love for White weaponized against Jaylen Brown, who's playing below Tatum's star level, but better than most No. 2 options throughout the Association.
While Brown has been susceptible to off-nights, the Celtics have by and large been able to survive them, relying on the sum of their top six players to carry them on those occasions No. 7 is off the mark.
Of course, Brown's supermax will always lead to more criticism. White, though, could soon face these issues when he's presumably signed onto an extension by the team sometime before the 2025 offseason.