{"id":132794,"date":"2025-04-05T10:22:13","date_gmt":"2025-04-05T14:22:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=132794"},"modified":"2025-04-05T10:22:13","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T14:22:13","slug":"derrick-white-makes-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/04\/05\/derrick-white-makes-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Derrick White Makes History in Win Over the Suns"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>During Friday night&#8217;s victory over the Phoenix Suns, the Boston Celtics made history by passing the 2022-23 Golden State Warriors for the most total <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/news\/celtics-nba-record-3-pointers\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">three-pointers<\/a> in a single season. This impressive accomplishment rightfully made plenty of headlines, however, Celtics guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/whitede01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-04-05_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Derrick White<\/a> also made history in this game by becoming the first player to record at least 250 three-pointers and 75 blocks in a season. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/09\/derrick-white-all-star\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">White&#8217;s two-way brilliance<\/a> has been key to the Celtics&#8217; success. Let&#8217;s further explore White&#8217;s recent milestone and overall impact.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Derrick White, with his first three-pointer tonight, became the first player in NBA history with at least 250 three-pointers and 75 blocks in a season!<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Dick Lipe (@DickLipe) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DickLipe\/status\/1908325110957682949?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 5, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Derrick White Makes History in Win Over the Suns<\/h2>\n<h3>A Week Full of History for White<\/h3>\n<p>Earlier in the week during Monday night&#8217;s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, White passed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/thomais02.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-04-05_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Isaiah Thomas<\/a> for the<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/03\/31\/derrick-white-breaks-celtics-3p-record\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"> most made threes by a Celtic<\/a> in a season. Notably, White was in a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/03\/24\/tatum-white-pritchard-franchise-record\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">race with teammates<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/tatumja01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-04-05_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jayson Tatum<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/pritcpa01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-04-05_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Payton Pritchard<\/a> for this record. Reaching two milestones both at a franchise and league level in the same week is incredibly impressive. Additionally, it&#8217;s only fitting that these records highlight White&#8217;s two-way skill set. White&#8217;s combination of three-point shooting and shot-blocking is unique.<\/p>\n<h3>White&#8217;s Two-Way Impact<\/h3>\n<p>As a spot-up shooter and versatile defender White has been key to Boston&#8217;s success over the past few seasons. However, he has never been more impactful than this season. On a career-high 9.1 three-point attempts White is shooting a stellar 38.2 percent while averaging a career-high 16.4 points. White&#8217;s combination of high volume and efficiency is a rarity.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, White ranks fourth in the league for total <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/leaders?StatCategory=FG3M&amp;PerMode=Totals\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">made threes<\/a> and fifth for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/leaders?StatCategory=FG3A&amp;PerMode=Totals\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">three-point<\/a> attempts. White&#8217;s shooting presence is a crucial part of the Celtics&#8217; offense; they run a ton of drive-and-kick actions through Tatum and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/brownja02.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-04-05_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jaylen Brown<\/a>, so having an elite shooter in White is a security blanket. White has also been one of the league&#8217;s most effective <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/25\/derrick-white-fourth-quarter-play\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">fourth-quarter performers<\/a>. His consistency and elite shooting are crucial for the Celtics. Beyond his shooting, White&#8217;s connective playmaking abilities and high basketball IQ are essential to the Celtics&#8217; offense.<\/p>\n<p>White&#8217;s defensive impact has also been key to the Celtics&#8217; success. He is both a disruptive off-ball roamer and an elite on-ball stopper. White averages 1.1 blocks per game and leads all guards in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statmuse.com\/nba\/ask\/most-blocked-shots-by-a-guard\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">total blocked shots<\/a>. Furthermore, White is tied with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jordami01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-04-05_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Michael Jordan<\/a> for the most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statmuse.com\/nba\/ask\/which-guard-has-the-most-blocks-per-game-in-nba-history\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">blocked shots<\/a> by a guard per game in league history. He is a perfect fit for the Celtics&#8217; versatile defensive scheme. At times, White has played a center role on defense due to his rim protection abilities.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The Celtics just used Derrick White as a center, and it was incredible to watch <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/oCE3XMEq0V\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/oCE3XMEq0V<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jack Simone (@JackSimoneNBA) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JackSimoneNBA\/status\/1894847353875509401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 26, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Notably, White ranks in the 92nd percentile for estimated <a href=\"https:\/\/dunksandthrees.com\/epm?m=def\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">defensive plus-minus<\/a> and posts a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/player\/1628401\/defense-dash\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">44<\/a> defensive field goal percentage. Considering his versatility and lockdown on-ball defense White has a strong case as the Celtics&#8217; most important defender. Ultimately, as the Celtics aim to repeat as champions White&#8217;s contributions will continue to be key.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Photo credit: \u00a9 Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>During Friday night&#8217;s victory over the Phoenix Suns, the Boston Celtics made history by passing the 2022-23 Golden State Warriors for the most total three-pointers in a single season. This impressive accomplishment rightfully made plenty of headlines, however, Celtics guard Derrick White also made history in this game by becoming the first player to record [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4779,"featured_media":132812,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,5,62],"tags":[1090],"class_list":["post-132794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-celtics","category-nba","tag-derrick-white"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4779"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132794"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":132863,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132794\/revisions\/132863"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}