Since joining the Boston Celtics, Derrick White has improved his perimeter shooting. In the four and a half seasons he was with the San Antonio Spurs, White averaged a 34% conversion rate from deep. Since moving to Boston, that success rate has jumped to 38.7%.
During a recent episode of his “White Noise” podcast, White revealed that his shooting improvements even caught the eye of Stephen Curry. The Celtics champion shared some of what the superstar sharpshooter said to him.
“Steph came up to me and was like, ‘What have you been doing? This is unbelievable! I respect your work,’” White recalled. “I’m like, ‘let me shoot some more; I gotta jack some more shots.’ 16 threes next game! Steph says I’m doing something right; I must be doing something right. All those things have turned me into someone who shoots 10 threes a game now and takes crazy ones now.”
White is certainly one of the Celtics’ most trusted perimeter threats. Last season, he averaged 9.1 attempts from deep per game, draining 38.4% of them. And he did that while still ranking in the top-10 of the Defensive Player of the Year voting. No wonder he’s viewed as an integral piece of Joe Mazzulla’s rotation.
White Explained Why He Re-Signed With Boston
During a recent episode of his “White Noise” podcast, White explained why re-signing with Boston was a no-brainer decision for him. He will be entering the first year of that four-year $118 million deal in the upcoming NBA season.
“The third extension was much, much more relaxed,” White said on his podcast. “Not down to the wire. I didn’t want to play nowhere else. Like I wanted to be in Boston. I’ve always said that. It was pretty simple. Pretty straightforward. And so, signing that, I was super excited just to stay in Boston, to continue to be a Celtic, hopefully do great things in Boston. More years in Boston.”
White continued.
“Like, this is what I want, and so this is what my family wants. Boston has been good. My kids were born in Boston, I kind of developed as a player in Boston, and that’s really what it was about, it’s like what’s going to make me happy? And I knew that was going to be in Boston. I love it in Boston.”
White has become a fan favorite within the Celtics. He won a championship with the team. Therefore, it makes sense that he would want to prolong his tenure in the city and as part of the franchise.
White Will Have a Bigger Role This Season
With Jayson Tatum set to miss most, if not all, of the upcoming season, White will likely step into a larger role within the rotation. He will likely become the second option on the offensive end, while his defense will be even more important following Jrue Holiday’s departure.
White has proven that he’s the type of talent that can be relied upon when he needs to scale his production. He consistently makes the right decisions and always looks to make the plays that benefit the team as a whole.
It’s no secret that White’s shooting will be integral for the Celtics next season. However, the truth is, his entire skill set will be needed.
In truth, White may be in line for one of the most productive seasons of his career.
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