It’s awards season at Celtics.com! We’re handing out six awards over the final 10 days of July as we roll through this year’s Celtics.com Awards Series. We may not have trophies or acceptance speeches, but we do have some top-flight Celtics performances to outline. Here we go...
Being thrown into the mix on a Finals-bound roster midway through the 2021-22 season wasn’t the easiest transition for Derrick White. But after having a full offseason to settle in and prepare for his first full run with the Boston Celtics, the sixth-year guard emerged into the new NBA campaign visibly more comfortable in his role.
As White’s confidence rose, so did his production, steadily throughout the season. He went from a reserve role to a reliable starter. He provided consistent offense, made enough of an impact on the other end to earn NBA All-Defense honors, and hit the biggest shot of the entire season.
White got better not only from one season to the next, but he also made continuous progress from Opening Night all the way through the Eastern Conference Finals. That’s why he is our Most Improved Player of the Year.
Typically, an MIP will see vast statistical improvements from one year to the next. Such wasn't totally the case for White, however, the numerical comparison between his first half-season with the Celtics and his first full season doesn’t tell the whole story of why he deserves this recognition.
His scoring average (12.4 PPG) improved by just 1.4 points, his rebounds ((3.6 RPG) went up by 0.2, his assists (3.9 APG) went up by 0.4, his steals (0.7 SPG) went up by 0.1, and his blocks (0.9 BPG) went up by 0.3. All improvements, albeit small ones.
White's shooting development was a bit more impressive. His field-goal percentage jumped from 40.9 percent to 46.2 percent, his 3-point percentage skyrocketed from 30.6 percent to 38.1 percent, and his free-throw percentage went from 85.3 percent to 87.5 percent.
However, to fully understand the significance of his upswing, White’s season needs to be split into two parts.
White's rise began toward the end of January, right around the time when Marcus Smart sustained an ankle sprain and missed significant time. Smart’s absence meant more opportunity for White, and he seized the moment.
Prior to the Jan. 23 turnaround date, White had started 39 of the first 47 games, mostly at the shooting guard spot. During that time, he averaged 9.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 43.9 percent from the field, 36.6 percent from long range, and 85.7 percent from the free-throw line.
During Smart’s 11-game absence, White slid into the starting point guard role and saw his scoring average more than double to 20.1 PPG on 49.1 percent shooting, including 43.6 percent from 3-point range, while also handing out 5.8 APG and corralling 4.6 RPG.
At the end of that stretch, he earned his first career Conference Player of the Week award. While leading the C's to a 4-0 week, White averaged 24.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 7.5 APG, 1.5 BPG, and just 1.5 turnovers per game while shooting 52.2 percent from the field, 51.5 percent from 3-point range, and 90.0 percent from the free-throw line.
Also during that stretch, White became just the fourth player in franchise history to log at least 23 points and 10 assists in three consecutive games, joining Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, and John Havlicek. He also became the first player in NBA history to make at least five 3-pointers, hand out at least nine assists, and commit one or fewer turnovers in consecutive games.
Looking back, that was an important sample of games because now that Smart is no longer on the team, White will now be sliding into Boston’s starting point guard role, according to head coach Joe Mazzulla.
White finished off the season strong, particularly on the defensive end where he was a shot-blocking machine. He blocked at least one shot in 11 consecutive games from March 15 to April 5, which was the second-longest stretch by a player under 6-foot-5 in NBA history (David Thompson, 13 games).
He led all NBA guards with 76 blocked shots while becoming just the fifth player under 6-5 in NBA history to block at least 75 shots in a season (Dwayne Wade, David Thompson, Dennis Johnson, Ron Brewer).
White also led all NBA guards in 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.
After producing such impressive numbers on that end of the floor, it was no surprise to see White earn his first NBA All-Defense selection as a member of the Second Team.
He also became the first Celtic since Isaiah Thomas in 2016-17 to play in all 82 regular-season games. On top of that, he played in all 20 postseason games for a total of 102 appearances.
White took his game to another level in the playoffs, especially from an efficiency standpoint. Across three series, he averaged 13.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.0 BPG while shooting 50.5 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from deep, and 91.2 percent from the free-throw line. He joined Ray Allen and Eddie House as one of three players in team history to shoot 50/40/90 during a single postseason run.
And to top it all off, he hit the most memorable shot of the season: a buzzer-beating tip-in to win Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Miami, which saved Boston from elimination (for the moment, at least).
That shot was an impeccable way for White to cap off a season of progress – a year in which he was Boston’s Most Improved Player.