The Boston Celtics, long before Jayson Tatum returned from a lengthy absence due to a ruptured Achilles, were already a fierce team to contend against, thanks to the consistent two-way excellence of both Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. White's brilliance may not jump off the box score, but he is the quintessential winning player. He does everything the Celtics need to play winning basketball, and his impact was once again apparent on Monday night.
It may have been Brown who had his way against the Phoenix Suns, scoring 41 points on 10-20 shooting from the field and 19-21 from the charity stripe, but it was White who held the team together on the defensive end. He helped slow down a streaking Jalen Green, holding him to 21 points on 8-20 shooting from the field, and he was the defensive star of their 120-112 win over the Suns.
White filled the stat sheet yet again, tallying one steal and one block each. In so doing, the Celtics guard now has 75 steals on the season to go along with 93 blocks — becoming the first player in franchise history to record such defensive numbers over the course of a single season since Kevin Garnett pulled off the feat during their championship-winning 2007-08 campaign, as per ESPN Insights on X (formerly Twitter).
Celtics star Derrick White is a coach's dream
White is revered among coaches and fans of analytics, as he just does everything a team wants out of a guard who plays heavy minutes. He can defend bigger players, he can pour it on from beyond the arc, and he's unselfish on both ends of the floor, willing to sacrifice his body just to make the right play.
The Celtics star even received a major compliment from Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson, saying that he's a top-five player in the NBA. And considering how impactful he can be, there truly is an argument to be made for that.
