The Boston Celtics made a trio of moves at the NBA trade deadline, most notably acquiring Derrick White from the San Antonio Spurs. It was the biggest of several marquee trades by Brad Stevens to bolster the roster and the returns could impact this franchise in 2022 and well beyond.
Boston prioritized upgrading its rotation at the trade deadline. In a related transaction, Boston acquired Daniel Theis from the Houston Rockets in a package deal featuring Enes Freedom and Dennis Schroder.
Boston essentially traded away a third of its roster to acquire White and Theis. White presumably becomes head coach Ime Udoka’s starting point guard. While there are a lot of moving parts, the guard adds a much-needed dimension to their offense.
Here’s how Derrick White advances the Celtics’ operation.
Derrick White gives the Boston Celtics a spark
White is an abrupt player, if you will, playing in constant motion. The guard does a little bit of everything. He has a knack for getting inside off the dribble, is a cunning passer and defends well. All the while, he’s a capable shooter and more of a combo guard than a true one or two-guard. That’s perfect for the Celtics.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will continue to be the eminent sources of offense for the Celtics, which means they frequently have the ball in their hands. Already adept at assuming an off-the-ball role, the 6-foot-4 White can continue playing to his strengths in his new home.
White will be a tertiary source of offense, helping facilitate and take some attention off Tatum and Brown, who are each prolific scorers. The 27-year-old is a composed ball-handler. He seldom turns the ball over, will create open looks for others through attacking the rack and give the Celtics a steady force on both ends of the floor.
- Derrick White stats (2021-22): 14.4 points, 5.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 42.6/31.4/86.9
In thought, going from Schroder to White is a minimal, if any improvement. The former is a consistently productive scorer in the halfcourt and the two guards produce at similar clips and are in similar age brackets. On the other hand, White provides more burst and is under contract through 2025, whereas Schroder is an impending free agent.
Balance for the Boston Celtics rotation
In the aftermath of these transactions, the Celtics’ rotation is more balanced.
White is the primary point guard, creating for those around him and he serves as a vital source of offense on the whole. Tatum is the offensive focal point and Brown is a high-level wing scorer. Marcus Smart can either play an off-the-ball role in the starting five or come off the bench — working under the mindset that White eventually gets the starting nod.
In the scenario both Robert Williams III and Al Horford remain in the starting five, the Celtics’ offense can still function. Williams remains an interior threat while Horford stretches the floor a bit with his shooting. If one of them gets benched, it ensures that a quality center is on the floor at all times and gives the unit on the floor more speed.
- Derrick White contract: $15.17 million (2021-22), $16.39 million (2022-’23), $17.6 million (2023-’24), $18.8 million (2024-’25)
Meanwhile, Aaron Nesmith can breathe a bit, perhaps getting into a groove with his jump shot now that Richardson is gone. Payton Pritchard is a capable shooter. Theis is a versatile and smooth interior player. Grant Williams is a sturdy frontcourt player who’s an efficient shooter.
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This has traditionally been a superfluous rotation of young players. Now it’s beginning to come into form as a well-rounded rotation.
Examining Derrick White’s short and long-term impact on Boston
White makes the Celtics a better team in the present and provides them with flexibility in the years to come.
As previously alluded to, his frame and skill set give the Celtics more options with how to assemble their backcourt rotation while Richardson’s departure opens the door for Nesmith and Pritchard to make strides. Their offense has more variety, is likely to be more aggressive and the puzzle pieces fit.
In the doomsday scenario that the Celtics regress and outright collapse down the stretch (miss the playoffs), they should be able to move White in the offseason. He’s a talented player who has found success in a variety of roles. Plus, if they get on a roll, the Celtics’ first-rounder this year will likely result in a player who resides near the end of the bench given it landing in the 20s; they have enough first-rounders struggling to come into their own, as is.
Did the Celtics become a flawless team or the team to beat in the Eastern Conference? Of course not, but their roster and general outlook are in a better place. They have a road to going on a deep playoff run, and this comes without even mentioning their encouraging play of late; Boston has won eight of its last nine, improving to 31-25.
Derrick White enhances the Celtics from all aspects.