We understand better why Derrick White raised his arms to the sky, as if he had signed the winning shot. Jaylen Brown had just pushed his defender into the post to attract a second Pelicans player, and better bring the ball out towards his teammate. Open, the Celtics guard converted a 3-pointer and finally started his match… six minutes from time.
He who was only 2/10 so far, even 2/18 if we add to this total his 0/8 two days earlier, against the Clippers. In short, the former Spurs player was seriously in trouble with his shooting, especially from outside.
“ There was clearly a bit of difficulty. Everyone told me to stay confident and keep shooting. They trusted me and it's good to reward that trust from my teammates “, likes Derrick White after the meeting.
And what a reward for the Celtics! This award-winning shot gave him so much confidence that he continued: another 3-pointer after a little “stepback”, a left-hand finish in front of Herb Jones after a remarkable work of support, then another long shot thanks to a fixation by Jayson Tatum.
Still trailing by six points at the start of this last quarter, the Celtics, who had to do without Kristaps Porzingis, turned the game around thanks to 13 points in the period from Derrick White alone. “ Maybe some people thought, 'Oh, here we go again.' », Formulates the person concerned, thinking of the 17 points behind conceded in the second quarter, which could have been a harbinger of a new “blowout” like against the Clippers.
Down in speed
Boston finally returned to the locker room 10 points behind, while Derrick White had only converted one of his attempts, a 3-pointer.
“ We were walking down the tunnel at halftime and I high-fived him and said, 'Our failures are over now, we're bound to come back '”, reports Jayson Tatum, author of a weak 2/8 behind the arc.
And that's what happened with his teammate. “ Everyone told me to stay confident, and they trusted me, so why not trust me? I try to give the guys confidence when they have difficulties, they were able to help me today “, says the man who was considered a potential contender for a first All-Star Game.
This sequence, however, confirms a broader drop in speed for him. After a fiery month of December averaging more than 20 points with excellent percentages (51% including 43.5% from 3-point range), he averaged 13 points in January with only 39% shooting.
| Derrick White | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2017-18 | SAN | 17 | 8 | 48.5 | 61.5 | 70.0 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 3.2 |
| 2018-19 | SAN | 67 | 26 | 47.9 | 33.8 | 77.2 | 0.5 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 9.9 |
| 2019-20 | SAN | 68 | 25 | 45.8 | 36.6 | 85.3 | 0.5 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 11.3 |
| 2020-21 | SAN | 36 | 30 | 41.1 | 34.6 | 85.1 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 15.4 |
| 2021-22 * | All Teams | 75 | 29 | 42.1 | 31.2 | 86.4 | 0.5 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.9 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 13.2 |
| 2021-22 * | SAN | 49 | 30 | 42.6 | 31.4 | 86.9 | 0.5 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 5.6 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 14.4 |
| 2021-22 * | BOS | 26 | 27 | 40.9 | 30.6 | 85.3 | 0.5 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 11.0 |
| 2022-23 | BOS | 82 | 28 | 46.2 | 38.1 | 87.5 | 0.6 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 12.4 |
| 2023-24 | BOS | 42 | 32 | 45.7 | 39.6 | 89.8 | 0.7 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 15.6 |
| Total | 387 | 27 | 44.8 | 35.9 | 85.1 | 0.5 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 12.1 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
