{"id":116886,"date":"2025-01-09T13:15:23","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T18:15:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=116886"},"modified":"2025-01-09T13:15:23","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T18:15:23","slug":"derrick-white-all-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/09\/derrick-white-all-star\/","title":{"rendered":"The Definitive Guide to Derrick White’s All-Star Case"},"content":{"rendered":"

Boston Celtics guard Derrick White<\/a> has been crucial to the team’s success over the past few seasons. White is having a career season <\/a>and has a legitimate All-Star case. Discussions around All-Star teams are heating up, especially with the second round of voting being released. In the second round of fan voting,<\/a> White was left off the top 10 for Eastern Conference guards, in the first return of fan ballots White<\/a> ranked 10th. Regardless, White is deserving of an All-Star spot. Let’s dive into White’s well-rounded impact and All-Star case.<\/p>\n

The Definitive Guide to Derrick White’s All-Star Case<\/h2>\n

A Winning Player\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

White\u2019s impact on winning basketball is a key piece of his All-Star case. The Celtics have a 27-10 record, good for the second seed in the East. All-Star teams typically reward winning teams and players. White is averaging 17.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.3 blocks, and .9 steals with shooting splits of 45.2\/39.2\/82.2. Notably, White\u2019s 17.1 points per game are a career-high. Furthermore, White ranks eighth for total three-pointers made<\/a>\u00a0and his 39.2 three-point percentage is highly impressive considering his 9.1 attempts per game. <\/span><\/p>\n

White’s elite three-point shooting is central to the Celtics’ offensive identity and success. The Celtics’ offense is primarily built around Jayson Tatum<\/a> and Jaylen Brown<\/a>; however, having elite shooters such as White is a key part of Boston’s offense. Without Kristaps Porzingis<\/a> for a lot of the season, White has been even more important to the Celtics’ offense. His field goal attempts have increased from 11.5 to 13.1, and White’s 9.1 three-point attempts are also an uptick from 6.8 last season.\u00a0<\/span>White’s assists numbers don’t jump off the stat sheet, but his skill set as a trusted high-IQ playmaker elevates the Celtics’ offense while allowing the Jays to excel as scorers. He posts an impressive 2.58 assist-to-turnover ratio<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

White has been particularly valuable to the Celtics in clutch time. He is shooting<\/a> an incredible 61.5 percent from the field and 58.3 percent from beyond the arc. White has been a consistent option for the Celtics in late games, especially as a three-point shooter. Impressively, White<\/a> has a 17.6 net rating in clutch time play. Per Dunks & Threes, <\/a>White ranks in the 92nd percentile for estimated offensive plus-minus and in the 95th percentile for overall EPM. Last year, White had an outside chance at an All-Star spot. However, this season, White’s All-Star case is stronger, considering his increased offensive responsibilities and well-established impact on winning basketball.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two-Way Impact\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While White\u2019s offense has been valuable to the Celtics\u2019 success his defense has been equally crucial. White is one of the most impactful and versatile perimeter defenders in the league. Notably, White leads all guards with 44 total blocks<\/a>. White<\/a> has led all guards in blocked shots for the past two seasons and has been named to second-team All-Defense both years. He is one of the best guard rim protectors of all time. White\u2019s versatility allows the Celtics\u2019 to play a variety of defensive schemes. In addition to White’s shot-blocking, the 6-foot-4 guard has a stellar 40.6\u00a0defensive field goal percentage<\/a>. This is the lowest number among all Celtics<\/a> while defending the third most shots on the team. Moreover, this is an improvement from his 45.3 DFG%<\/a> last year.<\/span><\/p>\n

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White rejects Giannis \ud83d\ude24 pic.twitter.com\/HpcjormIDx<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Eamon Cassels (@EamonCassels) January 5, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n