Welcome Derrick White

[greenroom31]

AKA the Roadrunner

[zoyathedestroya]

Cs could have as many as five potential all-NBA defensive candidates but realistically we might just get one. Which is annoying.

Smart, White, Tatum, Horford, Timelord all have legit cases to be on an all-NBA defensive team. Bigs tougher time to crack a team because Gobert, Draymond, Giannis, Bam, and Embiid exist. Players should be penalized for missing time though so if it were up to me, Draymond, Lonzo, and Caruso shouldn't make it.

[zoyathedestroya]

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[jfs1000d]

Cs could have as many as five potential all-NBA defensive candidates but realistically we might just get one. Which is annoying.

Smart, White, Tatum, Horford, Timelord all have legit cases to be on an all-NBA defensive team. Bigs tougher time to crack a team because Gobert, Draymond, Giannis, Bam, and Embiid exist. Players should be penalized for missing time though so if it were up to me, Draymond, Lonzo, and Caruso shouldn't make it.

Rob should make it. I think he's better than Gobert. They are about equal at protecting the rim and Rob guards on the perimeter.

Smart is definitely a first teamer this year.

I think Rob is DPOY.

[Feed Your Head]

Cs could have as many as five potential all-NBA defensive candidates but realistically we might just get one. Which is annoying.

Smart, White, Tatum, Horford, Timelord all have legit cases to be on an all-NBA defensive team. Bigs tougher time to crack a team because Gobert, Draymond, Giannis, Bam, and Embiid exist. Players should be penalized for missing time though so if it were up to me, Draymond, Lonzo, and Caruso shouldn't make it.

Rob should make it. I think he's better than Gobert. They are about equal at protecting the rim and Rob guards on the perimeter.

Smart is definitely a first teamer this year.

I think Rob is DPOY.

Rob is awesome, but he is in no way better defensively than Gobert. Rudy better defending the rim and switching onto the perimeter, he’s the best defensive player of this generation.

We don’t need to diminish what other guys do to prop up Celtics players.

[GoCeltics123]

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[LewisnotMiller]

Cs could have as many as five potential all-NBA defensive candidates but realistically we might just get one. Which is annoying.

Funny, but I don't see it as annoying. It's our team defence which is dominant, all 7 guys buying into a scheme.
I'd be pissed if we weren't heavily considered for defensive TEAM of the year. But individual awards are for the lesser teams. We measure things in banners.

Yes, this is ridiculous exceptionalism, and I've mostly got my tongue in cheek. But might as well flex occasionally, right?

[zoyathedestroya]

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Bench, pre-trade deadline: 0.3 NetRtg, 57.9% Ast%, 53.9% TS%, 31-25 W-L
Bench, post-trade deadline: 5.3 NetRtg, 66.7% Ast%, 57.4% TS%, 9-2 W-L

When your starting five is already dominating then bench comes in seamlessly and adds on to the lead...

[zoyathedestroya]

Off the bench, per36:

• Richardson: 14.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.3 topg, 1.1 spg, 0.8 bpg, 44/40/86 splits, +2.3, 27-17 w-l
• Mr. White: 15.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.4 topg, 1.3 spg, 1.5 bpg, 41/26/83 splits, +10.4, 9-2 w-l

So far, White's three-point shooting or lack thereof hasn't hurt us. Basically, that's my only complaint about him so far. And maybe I wish he could box out/rebound better in traffic. Beyond the numbers, he's been a perfect fit as a secondary/tertiary playmaker on the floor. Ball doesn't stick. It's quick shoot, pass, or attack with him upon the catch. He pushes the ball every chance he gets while still being in control. He's 1st on the team in defensive rating and second in net rating (behind Horford) since trade deadline (not counting Nesmith). Just another high BBIQ guy who elevates team play.

[darrendaye]

Off the bench, per36:

• Richardson: 14.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.3 topg, 1.1 spg, 0.8 bpg, 44/40/86 splits, +2.3, 27-17 w-l
• Mr. White: 15.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.4 topg, 1.3 spg, 1.5 bpg, 41/26/83 splits, +10.4, 9-2 w-l

So far, White's three-point shooting or lack thereof hasn't hurt us. Basically, that's my only complaint about him so far. And maybe I wish he could box out/rebound better in traffic. Beyond the numbers, he's been a perfect fit as a secondary/tertiary playmaker on the floor. Ball doesn't stick. It's quick shoot, pass, or attack with him upon the catch. He's 1st on the team in defensive rating and second in net rating (behind Horford) since trade deadline (not counting Nesmith). Just another high BBIQ guy who elevates team play.

Thanks for this and the Pritchard/Schroder comps. Was a bit surprised to see Bulpett fall into the disingenuous crowd making the case for the White trade by making the comparison White/Schroder.

[3D Chess]

Yeah, science!

[zoyathedestroya]

A bit long but worth the read.

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[Red2]

His poor shooting is no small detail. he’s had to sit out a couple of 4th quarters because his play has been poor. he needs to pick it up on the offensive end before I jump on the bandwagon. He paid a lot to get him so he needs to start delivering

[Hal14]

His poor shooting is no small detail. he’s had to sit out a couple of 4th quarters because his play has been poor. he needs to pick it up on the offensive end before I jump on the bandwagon. He paid a lot to get him so he needs to start delivering

His offense is really good - other than the outside shooting. Makes good reads with the ball. Is very decisive with the ball, understands spacing and plays with pace. Really good feel for the game, passing instincts. Puts pressure on the defense. Unselfish player who looks to find the open man over taking the shot himself. Handles the ball well vs pressure defense, sees the floor well. Very crafty with his dribble drive moves to get to the basket, use of up fakes, spin moves, up and unders to get a shot off. There's more to offense than outside shooting. His outside shot will come around.

You have no idea why Udoka plays him when he does or sits him when he does - you're just guessing. There's been times when the closing lineup has been smart-al-rob-tatum-brown. Why? Hmm, i don't know, maybe because that's the starting 5 and most teams play their starters at the end, lol.

There's been times when Pritchard is in there in the 4th quarter. Is that because white played poorly? More than likely, it's just because Pritchard is in the rotation so he gets some minutes here and there to keep other guys fresh. If Pritchard never got any minutes, then people would complain that "Ime doesn't play the kids!" and that "Ime is running the starters into the ground - he only plays 7 guys!" lol

Also, White is a borderline all-NBA defensive player and arguably the best passer on the team. But I guess you're a casual who thinks that there's nothing more to basketball than a player's 3 pt shooting %.

It's only been 13 games. He's getting used to being on a new team. If we look at a more statistically signifiant sample size, and we take all the 3 point attempts he took in san antonio this season, last season and the one before that - he made 244 out of 717, that's 34%. League average this season from 3 is 35.1% so he's just barely below that. So if he should be a 34% shooter but so far in a tiny 13 game sample size he's shooting 24%, clearly we should expect him to regress to the mean..

We didn't get white for his shooting. We got him for his defense and passing. He's really freaking good at both of those things. We got him because he's one of Udoka's guys from san antonio, and because he played (REALLY well) for Team USA alongside smart, tatum and brown at the 2019 FIBA world cup. stevens was trying to find another guy to add to this roster who udoka, smart, tatum and brown would feel confident going to war with - because make no mistake, this year's eastern conference playoffs are going to be a bloodbath. we got white because he's tough, scrappy, tenacious.

on offense, he constantly keeps pressure on the defense. and when he's playing defense, he constantly keeps applying intensive pressure to the opposing offense. You know how sometimes you feel this really sharp, annoying pain run through a certain part of your body? Imagine that happening to you 24/7. That's what it's like to play against derrick white. You love him if he's on your team - you hate him if he's on the opposing team.

Lastly, we didn't give up much to get him. white is better than j-rich at mostly everything. A better fit for this team, with more years left on his contract. Including romeo and a 1st rounder was the cost of doing business in order to close the gap between white and j-rich. by year 3 in the league, it's pretty much sink or swim at that point - romeo wasn't doing that great and continued to get hurt a lot - no real loss there. The 1st rounder? That would be what, like the 21st pick? This is a pretty weak draft outside of the top 10 or 11 picks. Plus, we're trying to win a title - we need to prioritize getting good veterans to help bring banner 18 to boston. Adding more young kid development projects who are late 1st round picks isn't likely to move the needle. we still have our 2nd round pick, and chances are we can get a player with that pick who's damn near close to being just as good as anyone we could have draft with the 21st pick, if not just as good..

[Red2]

Unless you’re Tatum or Brown 2-10 is probably enough to get you benched

[BrianFitz]

His poor shooting is no small detail. he’s had to sit out a couple of 4th quarters because his play has been poor. he needs to pick it up on the offensive end before I jump on the bandwagon. He paid a lot to get him so he needs to start delivering

His offense is really good - other than the outside shooting. Makes good reads with the ball. Is very decisive with the ball, understands spacing and plays with pace. Really good feel for the game, passing instincts. Puts pressure on the defense. Unselfish player who looks to find the open man over taking the shot himself. Handles the ball well vs pressure defense, sees the floor well. Very crafty with his dribble drive moves to get to the basket, use of up fakes, spin moves, up and unders to get a shot off. There's more to offense than outside shooting. His outside shot will come around.

You have no idea why Udoka plays him when he does or sits him when he does - you're just guessing. There's been times when the closing lineup has been smart-al-rob-tatum-brown. Why? Hmm, i don't know, maybe because that's the starting 5 and most teams play their starters at the end, lol.

There's been times when Pritchard is in there in the 4th quarter. Is that because white played poorly? More than likely, it's just because Pritchard is in the rotation so he gets some minutes here and there to keep other guys fresh. If Pritchard never got any minutes, then people would complain that "Ime doesn't play the kids!" and that "Ime is running the starters into the ground - he only plays 7 guys!" lol

Also, White is a borderline all-NBA defensive player and arguably the best passer on the team. But I guess you're a casual who thinks that there's nothing more to basketball than a player's 3 pt shooting %.

It's only been 13 games. He's getting used to being on a new team. If we look at a more statistically signifiant sample size, and we take all the 3 point attempts he took in san antonio this season, last season and the one before that - he made 244 out of 717, that's 34%. League average this season from 3 is 35.1% so he's just barely below that. So if he should be a 34% shooter but so far in a tiny 13 game sample size he's shooting 24%, clearly we should expect him to regress to the mean..

We didn't get white for his shooting. We got him for his defense and passing. He's really freaking good at both of those things. We got him because he's one of Udoka's guys from san antonio, and because he played (REALLY well) for Team USA alongside smart, tatum and brown at the 2019 FIBA world cup. stevens was trying to find another guy to add to this roster who udoka, smart, tatum and brown would feel confident going to war with - because make no mistake, this year's eastern conference playoffs are going to be a bloodbath. we got white because he's tough, scrappy, tenacious.

on offense, he constantly keeps pressure on the defense. and when he's playing defense, he constantly keeps applying intensive pressure to the opposing offense. You know how sometimes you feel this really sharp, annoying pain run through a certain part of your body? Imagine that happening to you 24/7. That's what it's like to play against derrick white. You love him if he's on your team - you hate him if he's on the opposing team.

Lastly, we didn't give up much to get him. white is better than j-rich at mostly everything. A better fit for this team, with more years left on his contract. Including romeo and a 1st rounder was the cost of doing business in order to close the gap between white and j-rich. by year 3 in the league, it's pretty much sink or swim at that point - romeo wasn't doing that great and continued to get hurt a lot - no real loss there. The 1st rounder? That would be what, like the 21st pick? This is a pretty weak draft outside of the top 10 or 11 picks. Plus, we're trying to win a title - we need to prioritize getting good veterans to help bring banner 18 to boston. Adding more young kid development projects who are late 1st round picks isn't likely to move the needle. we still have our 2nd round pick, and chances are we can get a player with that pick who's damn near close to being just as good as anyone we could have draft with the 21st pick, if not just as good..

Wow, someone really had a nerve touched. Those were a lot of words, but at the end of the day White hasn't lived up to his potential for the Cs yet. Can he? of course. Will he? More than likely.

Calling a poster a "casual" for having a different opinion than yours really isn't neccessary.

[zoyathedestroya]

Watch on YouTube

I love that he knows how to both time his cuts when he's offball (not content with just being stationed beyond the arc) and how to feed his cutters when he's the ballhandler. Nothing flashy, nothing that will make SportsCenter but solid instinctual player who just knows how to ball.

A bit of Schroder tribute/callback there near the end of the vid with the Tatum handoff ATO play.

[ddb]

he needs to start knocking down shots more consistently, but beyond that he's excellent. I've been keeping a close eye on him lately and it's pretty evident that the ball pops when he's on the floor. Fantastic ball movement guy, quick reads, tough defense....He's another one of those guys that impacts winning regardless of what his stats say. Pair that with his contract and I'm no longer concerned about the steep price it required to bring him in. Also seems to have fit right in with the rest of the roster.

[zoyathedestroya]

White's now assisted Pritchard on his threes 10 times. The only one who's done that more on the team is Tatum (13). Offball PP + onball White is a match made in second unit heaven.

He's also assisted Tatum 14 times so far, 10 times from 2-pt range. That's already double that of Richardson's assists (7 and 5) to Tatum during his stint here. For comparison's sake, Jaylen has assisted Tatum 19 times the entire season, 12 times from 2-pt area.

[Hal14]

White's now assisted Pritchard on his threes 10 times. The only one who's done that more on the team is Tatum (13). Offball PP + onball White is a match made in second unit heaven.

He's also assisted Tatum 14 times so far, 10 times from 2-pt range. That's already double that of Richardson's assists (7 and 5) to Tatum during his stint here. For comparison's sake, Jaylen has assisted Tatum 19 times the entire season, 12 times from 2-pt area.

Nice stats.

His play making is so damn good.

That's obviously one of the biggest reasons we got him. Going back to what Udoka said in his very first press conference as coach, and how he wants to get the team playing better team basketball and finish higher in the league in assists.

Between the addition of white + smart being much more of a passer than a shooter this season + having 2 bigs who are very good passers (horford, rob) + tatum's play making (and brown's at times) are much improved, the ball is now really zipping around out there!