Since arriving in Boston, Derrick White has ascended through the ranks of NBA role players and become something much more substantial. He’s a star — not defined by championship hardware and subjective accolades, but by impact and how essential he is to winning basketball.
This season has thrown new challenges his way, and he’s hit a few bumps, but White is a quick study.
For years he’s shown a rare ability to slide in and out of the spotlight, lifting or supporting teammates depending on the game. That skill is invaluable on a roster stacked with talent.
Without Jayson Tatum in the lineup — and with several stars departed — White was asked to take on a more visible role in Boston’s offense and in opponent scouting reports. He opened with an encouraging 25 points against Philadelphia, only to follow it with a few weeks of cold shooting.
As the Celtics searched for their identity, so did Derrick White. Some saw it as an exposure of his limitations or an overreliance on star teammates. But this adjustment was always going to take time.
And history says you can’t keep a good shooter down. White has left the struggles behind and become a catalyst for a red-hot Celtics offense.
Over the first 12 games, he averaged 15.2 points on 34% from the field and 28% from three. In the next 11 games, he’s jumped to 20.0 points on 45.2% shooting and 40% from deep. In that same stretch, the Celtics own the league’s No. 1 offense with a 127.9 offensive rating.
He’s been a major reason behind some of Boston’s biggest wins of the year:
— 27 efficient points to snap Detroit’s 13-game win streak.
— 22 points — with 7 in the fourth — to outduel Mikal Bridges and the Knicks.
— Another 27-point outing to put away a Toronto comeback.
Those performances came against the top three teams in the East — a group Boston has now joined. They’re just 2.5 games back of the No. 2 seed and, somehow, only four behind the 19–5 Pistons.
White’s turnaround isn’t happening in a vacuum. It tracks with the Celtics settling into who they want to be. Early in the year everything felt a bit scattered — roles, rotations, shot diets, even the nightly energy. As things stabilized, White was one of the first to snap back into form. That’s not a coincidence.
Others have fueled the surge, too. Jordan Walsh and Josh Minott have burst onto the scene as dynamic wings. Neemias Queta is steadying the center rotation. Jaylen Brown is in a continual state of sizzle. With White finding his footing, he provided clarity and allowed for everyone else to settle into their ideal roles.
The most exciting part: even with a bigger offensive workload, his defense hasn’t slipped. He’s averaging 1.3 blocks and 1.5 steals — both career highs — and his help-side rim protection is essential for a team without a traditional shot-blocking anchor.
Lately, White has been a 20-point scorer who brings elite defense. Without the slow start, that’s an All-Star résumé. If he maintains this level, he’s going to be in that conversation.
When White is aggressive, the Celtics feel sharper. Their spacing looks cleaner, the ball moves faster, and he gets them organized. You can feel the shift when he’s locked in, and it usually leads to cleaner basketball across the board.
If this is the level he’s settling into, it reshapes what Boston can be this year. They don’t need him to drop 20 every night, but having that gear in his pocket changes the math for opponents and adds a hierarchy the offense was missing. White is more than qualified for this role, and he looks increasingly comfortable in it each night.
