While Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are the Boston Celtics’ star players, Derrick White has emerged as one of the team’s most consistent role players. White has had some huge performances though during his Celtics tenure so far, performances on par with star players.
But does Derrick White view his role on the Celtics as that of a star player or a role player? During a recent episode of his show, ‘The White Noise Podcast with Derrick White,’ White spoke about how his role on the Celtics might change from game to game.
“I think there’s a big gap between star and role player, and there’s not really a middle ground,” White said. “I just try to do anything. Some games I might be just a role player, some games I might need to score 30. Some people, they are like role players, you’re not gonna ask them to get 30. So I want to be someone that can do a little bit of everything.”
The No. 29 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, White is now in his fourth full season with the Celtics. He was traded to Boston by the San Antonio Spurs ahead of the NBA trade deadline in 2021-22. White played a major role during the Celtics’ 2024 championship run.
This season, White has resumed playing a major role amid Tatum’s injury as the Celtics have surprised many as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. He’s appeared in 39 games, at a little over 34 minutes per game. He’s averaged 18.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocked shots with splits of 39.4 percent shooting from the field, 32.8 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 88.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
