Even on his day off, Derrick White was cooking. Literally.
Well, maybe not cooking, but preparing?
On Wednesday, Svi Mykhailiuk and Derrick White took part in a special event at the Dorchester YMCA in partnership with Sun Life U.S. They spoke to dozens of elementary and middle school students about their favorite game-day meals, how they make healthy choices and even participated in a competition of which team could make the best smoothies and salads.
Despite Mykhailiuk’s team allegedly cheating, White’s team prevailed.
“They started the day off sending their whole team, hogging the ingredients, [and] stole all the avocados,” White said following the event.
“But it’s alright. We still found a way to win. We fought through adversity,” he added jokingly.
It wasn’t the first time this week that White had to fight through adversity to get a win, as he and the Celtics have faced different types of trouble in each of their wins this week.
On Monday night, Boston trailed by as many as 17 to the New Orleans Pelicans before storming back behind 13 fourth-quarter points from White, who entered the final frame having missed 16 of his last 17 shots, including shooting 1-of-8 over the first three quarters of the game.
Then, on Tuesday night, the Celtics blew a 20-point lead to the Indiana Pacers and another 12-point lead in the fourth quarter before their defense stepped up big in the closing minutes to secure the W. Once again, White played a pivotal role in the success, with a high-IQ play and a massive rejection of old friend Aaron NeSmith.
Clutch time in the NBA is defined as the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points. With their two wins this week coming down to the wire, the Celtics are now 15-8 in clutch situations this season.
“We’ve been a lot better than we have been in previous years where we’ve been able to put teams away,” Jaylen Brown said following the win on Tuesday night. “Only a handful of times teams have come back and found a way to win against us, even if it is a big lead or so. In the past, a lot of you guys remember some of those resulted in losses. I think it’s a step forward that in those moments of adversity, we still have found ways to win.”
White is a big reason for that, emerging as one of the biggest x-factors and Boston’s secret weapon in the clutch.
The All-Defensive guard has been one of the league’s most impactful players in the clutch. His +64 plus-minus in clutch situations leads the NBA. He is just one of two players with a clutch plus-minus north of 60. The other is Damian Lillard, one of the best clutch players in recent NBA history.
White has totaled 48 points in the clutch this season on 14-of-25 (56.0%) shooting from the field and 10-of-20 (50%) from deep. White’s 56% field goal percentage is good for ninth-best in the NBA among players with at least 20 attempts, ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Lillard, Joel Embiid, Donovan Mitchell, Lillard, and last year’s Clutch Player of The Year Award winner, De’Aaron Fox.
The six-year vet is second in made threes in clutch, trailing just Curry. He and Curry are the only players to make double-digit threes in the clutch. The 29-year-old is one of just six players shooting 50% or better from distance in the clutch and is tied for the third-best three-point shooting percentage among players with at least 10 attempts.
White has built a reputation for being a phenomenal two-way player. That doesn’t change in the clutch. The 6-foot-4 guard (!) has racked up five rejections in clutch situations, good for the fifth most in the league and the most among guards. He is ahead of LeBron James, Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez, Rudy Gobert, Jarren Jackson Jr., and Jokic. There are only four centers ahead of him. Remember, he’s a 6-foot-4 guard.
Undoubtedly, White has been one of the most impactful players in the clutch this season. But in his typical, humble fashion, White deferred the credit to his teammates for his success.
“I don’t think so,” White told WEEI.com when asked if there was something that brings out the best of him late in games. “We’ve got a lot of great guys on the team, so that kind of makes it easy. I’m just going out there, competing, and trying to help us win as many games as we can.”
Sure, White certainly benefits from being viewed as the fourth, or maybe even fifth option, due to how talented the Celtics’ roster is. However, he has established himself as a big-time player in crucial situations, and it didn’t just start this year.
Ironically, the celery in Wednesday’s salad for White’s team was cut to resemble a star, perhaps hinting at White’s possible selection as an All-Star game reserve. The NBA will reveal those selections on Thursday night.
“I mean, obviously, it would be a great honor to make [the team]. I haven’t really put too much pressure on it because I’ve realized that if I make it, it’s because the team is doing so well,” White humbly said when asked about his All-Star candidacy. “So, I haven’t really been thinking too much. If I make it, it’ll definitely be exciting and a great honor, and if I don’t, I’ll just enjoy some family time.”
Time will tell if White is selected for his first All-Star game. Regardless, he is as valuable as anyone on the Celtics’ roster, especially when they need it most.
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