The Boston Celtics, even before Jayson Tatum's long absence due to an Achilles rupture, were already a formidable team to contend with, thanks to the consistent two-way excellence of both Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. White's talent may not match the box score, but he is the quintessential winning player. He does everything the Celtics need to play winning basketball, and his impact was evident once again on Monday night.
It may have been Brown who scored 41 points on 10-20 shooting from the field and 19-21 from the charity stripe against the Phoenix Suns, but it was White who held the team together on the defensive end. He helped slow down Jalen Green by holding him to 21 points on 8-20 shooting from the field, and he was the defensive star of their 120-112 win over the Suns.
White refilled the stat sheet, tallying one steal and one block each. In doing so, the Celtics guard now has 75 steals along with 93 blocks on the season – becoming the first player in franchise history to record such defensive numbers during a season since Kevin Garnett accomplished the feat during the championship-winning 2007-08 campaign, according to ESPN Insights on X (formerly Twitter).
Celtics star Derrick White is a coach's dream
White is respected among coaches and analytics fans, as he does everything a team wants from a guard who plays heavy minutes. He can defend big players, he can attack them from beyond the arc, and he's unselfish at both ends of the court, willing to sacrifice his body for the right play.
The Celtics star also received major praise from Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson, who said he is a top-five player in the NBA. And considering how impactful that can be, there really is an argument to be made for it.
