The Boston Celtics won a tightly-contested game against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night. This was the second meeting between the two teams, and the second time the Celtics shot under 30% from three in the matchup but with a different result.
With 11 ties, 13 lead changes, and neither team leading by more than 12 points, it was hard for either team to build any real momentum. That being said, there was no shortage of high-impact plays, especially from Derrick White.
White got off to a slow start offensively — just 5 points in the first half. Defensively, however, he was ready to go from the jump. He started off the game by blocking a Lauri Markkanen layup attempt just 14 seconds into the game.
It didn’t take long for Derrick to get his second block of the game, again rejecting a layup attempt by Lauri. White positioned himself perfectly in front of Markkanen, back-peddling and going straight-up to give himself enough time to get a hand on the ball.
Early in the second quarter, Neemias Queta missed a layup, and a quick rebound and outlet pass from Brice Sensabaugh sparked a Utah fastbreak. He hit Isaiah Collier in stride, but Derrick beat him to the cup. Again, thanks to some excellent footwork, body positioning, timing, and this time some added help from Sam Hauser, White was able to tip the shot and prevent an easy bucket.
Then, later in the second, Derrick was standing back as the primary help defender, shading off of the corner to protect the paint. When Keyonte George came steaming through the lane, White committed to stopping the drive, and met George at the apex to reject the shot.
Derrick did more than just protect the paint, too. In the third quarter, the Jazz had a chance to take the lead back from the Celtics. They ran a little screen action between Jusuf Nurkic and Markkanen to try and free up Lauri for an open three. Derrick had other plans, though, fighting over the screen to block the 7-footer’s shot from behind, an incredible display of effort to keep Boston ahead.
He made a similar play in the fourth quarter, again against Markkanen, his fourth time in the game, and again from behind. This time Lauri was coming off of the dribble. Derrick was forced to chase him around some screens, but made up just enough ground to deflect the ball out of Markkanen’s hands as he slowed down while rising up to attempt a floater. With that block, Derrick tied his career-high.
White’s final block of the game, the one that helped him set his own personal record for a single game, came in the final minute. Boston had finally built up their lead, and was looking to close out the game on the defensive end. Walter Clayton Jr. found an open lane ahead of him, and took Hugo Gonzales off the dribble to attack the cup. He got himself firmly in the paint, and even got White to jump early with a good head fake, along with a nifty slowed step. White, however, seemed to float in the air for just long enough to get a hand on the ball, tipping it out of Clayton’s hands as he finally went up for the shot.
In the game, there were 12 total blocks between both teams, Boston tallying 9, while Utah had 3. Derrick White accounted for 7 blocks just by himself. Four of them came against Utah’s star 7-foot wing in Markkanen, and the other three coming against their explosive, young guards, a testament to White’s versatility as a defender. There’s a reason why he’s considered one of, if not the best shot blocking guards in the NBA.
While he’ll have a hard time winning favor in the Defensive Player of the Year award race, Derrick definitely deserves some consideration. He leads his team in both steals and blocks per game, averaging 1.4 and 1.5 respectively. At the very least, he should be cementing his name on one of the All-Defensive Teams. He may very well just be the best defensive guard in the NBA today.
