About 45 minutes before tip-off Tuesday night, an enthusiastic young fan in the first row tried desperately to get Derrick White’s attention.
“Derrick White! Derrick White! Derrick White!,” the fan screamed, over and over. White waved and smiled, and once he finished his shooting routine, he bounced over to the child, shook his hand and posed for a picture. The kid’s smile was enormous. It was clear White didn’t just make his day; he made his life.
There’s a reason my mom calls him “Derrick Do Right.” White simply does the right thing, on and off he court, over and over again. He’s the glue that holds this Celtics team together.
White has a knack for giving the Celtics (17-5) a boost at the exact right moment. In a 120-113 win over the Cavaliers (13-11) on Tuesday, he finished with 17 points (5 of 8 from 3-point range), and added four assists, four rebounds and two blocks.
When the Celtics needed a bucket, he provided one. When they needed to make the extra pass, he did just that. When they needed a stop, he provided extra effort to help will Boston to an impressive win.
In December, White is averaging 23 points, 5.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks. He’s shooting 51.2 percent from the floor, 47.8 percent from 3 and 100 percent from the line. It’s just four games, but it illuminates a larger trend.
He’s playing pristine basketball and has been a constant as the Celtics have started the season 11-0 at home.
White is the ideal complement to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown because he doesn’t need the rock all the time in order to be effective. His versatility, to play both on and off the ball, gives the Celtics flexibility with their lineups. His defensive prowess makes life easier for the stars and ensures there isn’t a drop-off when Jrue Holiday goes to the bench.
After a sluggish start, the Celtics stormed back behind White’s hot shooting. He buried three 3-pointers in a row, in a span of of just over a minute as Boston continued to chip away. White doesn’t force 3’s, but he looks more confident than ever knocking them down when he gets a sliver of space.
“We got a lot of good looks,” White said. “They’ll eventually fall.”
The Celtics trusted their offense, their shot selection and their playmakers, and it paid dividends with White as a catalyst. They didn’t try to reinvent the wheel when things went awry, instead making the simple and smart play to respond in style.
“I think that’s a big thing for us,” White said. “In the past, we started out slow and we settled and think we’d eventually make them. This time, we continued to make the right play, make the right reads, and stay in attack mode.”
In the third quarter, White altered a Darius Garland layup at the last second. He drilled another 3, then he skipped a pass to the corner for a Tatum 3 and found Kristaps Porzingis for a top-of-the-key trey that put Boston in front.
With Holiday on the floor, White looked for his shot within the flow of the offense. With Holiday on the bench, he became more of a facilitator and set his teammates up for success.
White found Brown for a fadeaway in the fourth quarter to help put the game away.
After making one fan’s night before tip-off, he brightened the nights of thousands more with his poise and versatility in the game’s defining moments. He has a hunch for why Boston is 11-0 at home.
“We got the best fans in the league,” White said. “Pretty simple.”
Sarah Wilson is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
