BOSTON – Derrick White served as the Boston Celtics’ most consistent and durable defender this season, leading them to the No. 2 defensive ranking in the league. For that, he was rewarded Tuesday afternoon, as the NBA announced that the 28-year-old guard had been voted to its All-Defensive Second Team.
White was asked a couple of hours before the announcement about the potential of being named to one of the All-Defensive teams, and although his primary focus was on his team's upcoming Game 5 matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers later that night, he admitted that it would be a prideful achievement to be recognized in such a manner.
“That’d be a pretty cool honor,” he said at Boston's morning shootaround. “It’s a lot of hard work and effort. I’m not too focused on it, obviously. But it would probably mean a lot – especially to my dad.”
White’s father, Richard, is a Boston native who grew up a diehard Celtics fan. He, along with all of Celtics Nation are most certainly proud of what their No. 9 accomplished.
This is the first end-of-season award that White has earned in his career, and it couldn’t be any more deserved. In fact, his statistical impact could’ve easily landed him on the First Team.
White led all guards in blocked shots (76) and shot contests (507), including 335 contests from inside the 3-point arc. The next-closest number of contested 2-pointers by a guard was Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s mark of 245.
Those 76 blocks were also 15 more than any other player on the Celtics, which is a remarkable feat for a player who is only 6-foot-4. The only other guard in franchise history with more blocks in a season was Reggie Lewis, who surpassed that total in three separate campaigns.
Among Celtics starters, White had by far the best defensive rating with a mark of 107.2. The next-lowest mark was Jayson Tatum at 110.8. White was also fourth on the team in steals (54) and fifth in both defensive rebounds (241) and total rebounds (293). In addition, he had the highest plus/minus among all Eastern Conference players at plus-488.
“He’s one of those guys out there that makes the game easier for everybody because he knows how to play,” said White's Sixth Man of the Year teammate, Malcolm Brogdon. “He’s incredibly versatile and can impact the game in a lot of ways.”
Perhaps White’s most impactful trait was his durability. He was one of only 10 NBA players to not miss a single game and he became the first Celtics player to appear in all 82 contests since Isaiah Thomas in 2015-16. As a result, he played the third-most minutes (2,319.3) on the team behind Jayson Tatum (2,732.2) and Jaylen Brown (2,404.9).
White is the seventh guard in Celtics history to earn All-Defensive team honors, along with John Havlicek, Don Chaney, Dennis Johnson, Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, and Marcus Smart.
He’s the third different Celtic to make it to one of the teams over the past two years after Smart and Rob Williams did so last season.
Smart nearly made the All-Defensive Team for the fourth time in his career, earning the most votes among any player who did not make either team. The 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year’s 12 First Team votes were three times as many as Second-Teamer Dillon Brooks (four); however, the Memphis guard received 46 Second Team votes to Smart’s 11. The fact that Smart missed 21 games this season played into his not making either team.
The only other Celtic to receive votes was Jaylen Brown, who earned one First Team vote and two Second Team votes.
White’s 24 First Team votes were the most among any player who didn’t make the top team. He was beat out by Milwaukee’s Jrue Holiday (94 First Team votes) and Chicago’s Alex Caruso (50 First Team votes) at the guard position. Though, he very well could have made the First Team with the fantastic defensive statistics he produced.
Either way, a Second Team nod is an incredible honor for a player in his first full season with a team, explained head coach Joe Mazzulla. "It’s always an adjustment playing in our system, and I think he’s done a great job of navigating that, being effective in different areas of our defensive system. And so I’m happy for him. It’s great to see our guys take ownership of stuff like that.
White was as reliable, consistent, and durable as anyone could have hoped he would be on the defensive end, and he was the primary reason why the C’s were one of the top two defenses in the league.