Marcus Smart's departure from the Boston Celtics caught my by surprise this offseason, including Smart himself. Spending all nine years of his career in Boston, Smart was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in the multi-team trade that sent former All-Star big man Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics.

In wake of Smart's departure, Boston will be looking for a new face to lead their backcourt as they enter the 2023-24 season as title contenders once more. Fortunately for the Celtics, they have quite a few experienced guards on their roster and Derrick White is set to become Smart's successor.

During a press conference on Wednesday to announce Jaylen Brown's record-breaking $304 million contract extension, head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked about the starting point guard position and who would replace Smart in the rotation.

Mazzulla, whose answers are always very simple and to the point, made the answer to this question clear. “Derrick will be our starting point guard,” he stated briefly, via The Athletic's Jay King.

There is no replacing the defensive tendencies Smart brought to Boston night-in and night-out, but White had himself a terrific first full season with the Celtics this past year.

Playing in all 82 games, 70 of which he started alongside Smart, White average 12.4 points and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 38.1 percent from three-point range. A great on-ball defender in his own right out on the perimeter, White was named to the All-Defensive Second Team for the first time in his career.

Originally traded from the San Antonio Spurs to the Celtics ahead of the trade deadline during the 2021-22 season, the former first-round pick has carved out a key role in Boston for himself. Jayson Tatum and Brown are obviously the focal points for this team, but in order for them to potentially get back to the NBA Finals, White will have to continue to be the impactful “do-it-all” type of player he is. Whether it is scoring, passing, rebounding or defending, White can do a little bit of everything to help the Celtics win.

In fact, they have gone 77-31 since his arrival last year!

A proven starter at either guard position in this league, White will now lead the Celtics' backcourt as they continue to hunt for their 18th championship in franchise history.