When he scored this buzzer beater at the end of the 1st quarter to give the Celtics a 15-point lead, we thought nothing could happen to the Celtics tonight… Derrick White set the room on fire with this 3-pointers, and the Heat will never recover from this one-sided first quarter.
A new holder, after a short stint as 6th man, White signed a full and clean match with 21 points on 8 out of 11 on shots, including 6 out of 8 from 3-pointers. And there are things that you don’t see in the stats like his defense on Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry, and his ability to change on the screens, and defend on players much bigger and stronger than him.
Derrick White opens the game for others
“He is not in the second best defensive five of the year by chance” recalls Jayson Tatum, while Joe Mazzulla insists on the influence of the external address of his backs on the game of the Celtics. “It gives us a much more balanced offense where we can spread the game, split the ball and just play basketball where we’re all tied together.”
But White, then, is not just outward address, and his defense on Butler is remarkable. This is the first time the Heat star has been really embarrassed and failed to get the better of his opponent. “Derrick relies on such versatility in defense, and he is very attentive to the habits of each player” emphasizes his coach. Already in the first two rounds, White had had a big influence with his defense on Trae Young, Tyrese Maxey or even James Harden.
And how does White feel about his offensive influence with that 6-of-8 3-pointer that blew up the Heat’s defense? “They are focused on Jayson and Jaylen, and that gives me opportunities. I’m encouraged to take shots when I’m unmarked, and I was able to put them in.” does it just sum up.
| Derrick White | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 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 |
| Total | 345 | 26 | 44.7 | 35.2 | 84.6 | 0.5 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 11.7 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
