Derrick White is perfect. So how can he get better?

Derrick White is the most effective model of Derrick White. So how does he get higher?

White occupies an fascinating place within the NBA biosphere. He has blown by means of each ceiling daring sufficient to attempt to comprise him, going from a stable backup level guard for an nameless San Antonio Spurs group to a more-than-solid backup guard on the Boston Celtics to a starter, ultimately changing into an completely irreplaceable keystone of an NBA champion making 118 million {dollars}.

For late-blooming second spherical picks like White, that is about 20,000 instances higher than he most likely may have hoped for. He’s beloved in Boston, fully uncontroversial and performs complimentary basketball that by no means will get in the best way and makes everybody higher. How on earth may we enhance this?

Effectively, for those who reduce by means of all of the birthday cake and confetti, White continues to be most likely the fifth most vital participant on the Celtics. He’s a artful however typically restricted offensive participant who depends on constant three-point capturing to remain on the ground, and should outwork and out suppose his opponents to beat often-daunting bodily matchups. However he’s managed to do all that with exceptional consistency, and he mainly by no means misses video games.

Complacency is thus White’s greatest problem for the 2024-25 season. The Celtics should get higher in the event that they wish to win back-to-back championships, and White is among the gamers with sufficient room to develop the place it would truly make a distinction. So what may he add?

Photograph by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE by way of Getty Photographs

Whereas not precisely the height of basketball evaluation, White may do with an expanded “bag,” as his offensive recreation is restricted to the large three of position participant strikes: straight line drives, three pointers, and off-ball cuts. That’s not an issue, however a guard of his measurement — he’s a legit 6’4” — may do with develop a submit recreation towards smaller matchups, one thing each Marcus Good and Jrue Vacation have developed to nice success. Maybe White may placed on some weight and turn out to be a extra bodily defender and scorer reasonably than counting on his innate shot blocking potential.

White can be sneaky previous, as whereas it doesn’t really feel like he’s been on the Celtics for that lengthy, he performed 4 years in school and lots in San Antonio. He’s already 30 years previous, and the historical past of NBA guards going into their thirties is a narrative of measurement. The larger, stockier guards can often translate their misplaced burst right into a grown man’s bully ball, utilizing their craftiness and bodily maturity to maneuver the beanpole twenty-something round like sacks of potatoes. White might want to determine that out sooner reasonably than later if he needs to enhance.

White may additionally maybe turn out to be a extra inventive passer, as whereas he does effectively to maintain the ball transferring reasonably than dribbling the air out of it like his predecessor Dennis Schröder, he’s nonetheless a “see it-throw it” passer, not essentially seeing the ground as profoundly as Jayson Tatum does. Vacation has by no means been a chief facilitator, and until the Celtics wish to actually advance the Level Tatum agenda, White may turn out to be the group’s major table-setter if he needs to be.

White’s greatest energy has been his availability, which may show even deadlier than traditional if White can turn out to be a topflight offensive participant on this league. He isn’t missing any bodily instruments, and has loads of burst and measurement. The variety of alternatives to totally run the offense has been the principle limiter to his enchancment, however we noticed the Celtics go along with a number of iterations of “Derrick White and the Bench Squad” lineups final common season. That’s one thing they need to do extra of, even whether it is only a lab experiment.

White has been every part the Celtics needed him to be and a lot extra. But when they wish to push their already-lofty limits, White goes to should be even cooler, and he completely could be. And I’m certain we’d all like to see that.