Derrick White – Boston Celtics
One of the more underrated moves of the trade deadline was between the San Antonio Spurs and the Boston Celtics. In a package that sent Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford and two first-round picks to the Spurs, the Celtics received 27-year-old combo-guard Derrick White.
Now in his 5th NBA season, White has established himself as a crafty playmaker that does not always need the ball in his hands to be effective.
In San Antonio, Derrick White was a strong one-on-one defender on the perimeter and while his three-point shot is lacking, he makes up for it with his ability to attack the paint and get to the basket, resulting in easy layups or him getting fouled.
The Celtics had been searching for ways to upgrade their bench talent heading into the trade deadline and Derrick White was a perfect addition for them, especially since they got rid of Dennis Schroder in a trade with the Rockets.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Can Harden, Embiid Duo Lead Sixers To The NBA Finals?
Now, with Marcus Smart out with a sprained ankle, White’s role with the Celtics has grown even bigger and he is one of the focal points for this team outside of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Through 3 games with the Celtics, Derrick White has averaged 13.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals and has shot 40% from the floor.
He is just 5-20 from three-point range, but White will have plenty of opportunities to get wide-open looks from deep with Tatum and Brown drawing all of the attention in Boston.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Can Harden, Embiid Duo Lead Sixers To The NBA Finals?
On the season, Boston ranks 26th in the league in bench points per game and they really did not have much talent in their backcourt ahead of the trade deadline. Marcus Smart is not a true point guard in this league and the Celtics were not ready to put all of their faith in Payton Pritchard yet, which is why the move for Derrick White made sense.
Boston is expected to be busy in the buyout market, as they will likely look to add yet another guard to their rotation, but Derrick White has proven to be one of the Celtics’ high-impact players in his limited time with the team.
