White a consistent help to Celtics
BOSTON — Most of the Celtics have missed games because of various bumps and bruises over the course of this long season. And this past week, with Boston locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, the team has squeezed in rest days for just about all of its regular rotation players.
But through it all, guard Derrick White has been the exception. If he plays in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Hawks, he will be the only Celtic to appear in all 82 games this season. He is one of just 10 NBA players to appear in every game.
“Derrick’s been there the entire time,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “And so I think just being able to have that stability on both ends of the floor, right? I think where he’s at now, as opposed to when he first got here, defensively, his ability to handle in pick-and-roll, and how he’s playing offensively . So, each guy has done a great job throughout the year maintaining a level of stability when we haven’t been healthy, and he’s done that as well.”
White, who was acquired in a trade with the Spurs in February 2022, acknowledged that the in-season adjustment was challenging. But he said that following last year’s finals run with a full training camp this season allowed him to truly find his comfort zone with this team, and he has thrived.
He is averaging 12.5 points, 4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game, while shooting 38 percent from the 3-point line. His advanced numbers are even more startling. With White on the court, the Celtics have outscored opponents by 10.9 points per 100 possessions. When he sits, the net rating plummets to plus-1.3. And his durability has provided consistent value.
“Derrick, I think, is just that much more comfortable with this group and this team, and he’s being aggressive,” teammate Jayson Tatum said. “We have those guys coming off the bench and they would be starting on any other team. So, I think that’s how different our team looks this year.”
Healthy attitude about Williams:
It appears most likely that White will retain his starting role when the playoffs begin, with center Robert Williams still coming off the bench. Williams missed the first 29 games of the season after undergoing knee surgery and had a reserve role in his first eight games before rejoining the starting lineup.
But then he missed eight games because of a hamstring strain and has mostly come off the bench since then. He did start the last two games, however, with Boston resting other key players.
Keeping the oft-injured Williams healthy has been the main priority, and he has been agile and effective over the past few weeks. His value on defense has been obvious, but Mazzulla said he wants the smooth-passing big man to remember that he can be an asset on offense, too.
“When we play him,” Mazzulla said, “he has to have an ability to affect both ends of the floor.”
Mazzulla said he was encouraged by Williams’s offense over the last two games. The big man had three assists over his first five games back from the hamstring strain but has registered four in the last two, along with 7-for-9 shooting. “We need him to get involved, because he has the ability to screen and get guys open,” Mazzulla said. “And depending upon how they guard him, if they are going to switch, we have to be able to punish that with him, and our guys feel comfortable throwing to him vs. smaller guys. And so he just has to be dynamic on the offensive end. It’s something he works at, and he’s shown that the last couple games.”