Derrick White is among the most underrated players in the NBA, evidenced by inexplicably being left off ESPN's top 100 players list for the 2023-24 season.
While White may be overlooked in the national spotlight, his contributions do not go unnoticed by Lakers’ guard D’Angelo Russell. As Russell looks to improve his play on the defense, he revealed he wants to try and emulate White’s play on the defensive end.
“My inspiration has been Derrick White,” Russell said after the Lakers’ loss to the Bucks Sunday night. “I want to be Derrick White. He doesn’t get a lot of credit for what he does. Makes all the winning plays. That’s who I want to be.”
White, who led the league in blocks amongst guards a season ago (76), is an elite rim protector and also provides a presence when defending the perimeter. The 29-year-old is a phenomenal two-way player with his ability to facilitate an offense, provide double-digit scoring, and elite defense.
White provides everything you look for in a player. Head coach Joe Mazzulla listed White’s humility, body language, and dependability as the traits that make him a good role model.
“You can rely on him every single day,” Mazzulla said. He understands it’s not always going to go his way, and he always has really good body language. He’s one of our intangible leaders because he brings it every single day and you can heavily rely on him in those areas.”
White was one of just 10 players league-wide to appear in all 82 games a season ago. In February of last season, White suffered a ruptured eardrum in a Celtics’ overtime loss to the Bucks yet remained in the game and led the Celtics in both points and assists, finishing with a 27-point, 12-assist double-double. White spent the night after the game in Milwaukee while he was checked out by an ear specialist and somehow, he flew to Boston the next day and played for the Celtics on the second night of their back-to-back, ruptured eardrum and all.
White’s maximum energy and effort are a big contributor to his success. Despite getting most of his credit on the defense, White’s offense should not be overlooked.
“I know people always talk about defensively how obviously, he's blocking shots, blocks shots at the rim or even on a three, getting steals, playing great defense, but offensively, he's reliable,” fellow guard Jrue Holiday said. “He's always played very, very solid, knocking down threes, a very reliable shooter. He's more than reliable, someone you can always, always go to when you need him."
According to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe, White, an unrestricted free agent in 2025, and the Celtics have had talks regarding an extension. The Celtics and White have until 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 23 to agree to a deal.
White is an invaluable piece to this Celtics team and someone they should do everything they can to extend long-term.
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