Boston Celtics star Derrick White, who signed a mega contract extension this offseason, has a smothering style of play that's all his own. White made an appearance on The Young Man & The Three and discussed his early basketball influences as a young fan, highlighting San Antonio Spurs players Danny Green and Manu Ginobili in particular.
“I think a big thing my rookie year was watching Manu offensively and watching Danny Green defensively. I think I just picked up a lot from those 2 in particular. Obviously the same position as me. Manu was 40 at the end of his career, that was the last year of his career, just the way he was able to get to the basket.
“Everybody always talks about the Euro-Step and stuff but there were just so many little things he did to get in that position. Just catching the ball on the run or setting up your defender, just the little things that he did. He didn’t have the same explosiveness that he had when he was first in the league but he was still extremely effective at doing just simple stuff. Then he obviously had his flare and everything after that but the simple was what really worked.”
Ginobili was a four-time NBA champion and two-time All-Star. He won Sixth Man of the Year in 2008 and had his No. 20 retired by the Spurs. In April 2022, he was a first ballot inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
White was the Spurs' 29th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. He spent his first five seasons in San Antonio before being traded to the Celtics in February 2022.
Celtics on strong 8-2 start to 2024-25 season
In the Celtics' 108-104 overtime win against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, Boston was down 16-2 halfway through the first quarter. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla found a way to motivate his team that resonates with Jayson Tatum and his teammates.
“I mean we constantly talk about it,” Tatum told reporters. “There are times when we're down 16-2 and [Joe Mazzulla] might come to the bench smiling like, ‘This is good for us, this is what we should want.' And you know, he's right. Sometimes we need that. Not that we want to be down 16-2 all the time, but we got to figure out a way to win the game.”
Mazzulla certainly brings a grinder's mindset to the game of basketball and it shows in his team.
“I just thought that we made enough plays to kind of chip away, and I think that's a testament to the team because I think you have to find ways to win ugly,” Mazzulla complimented. “One reason why we were really good last year is because these are the type of games that you win when you're down three rotation players. You have to find ways to win and no one cares that we have guys out.”
The Celtics will travel to Milwaukee for their next matchup on Sunday, November 10, at 3:30 p.m. EST.
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