Boston Celtics point guard Derrick White has a unique opportunity in front of him. With Boston missing its highest-usage player, Jayson Tatum, entering the 2025-26 season, White will have the basketball in his hands more often for the Celts. White was stellar during preseason, leading many to believe that he’s on the verge of a career year. But don’t expect Derrick to be chucking shots and abandoning his winning style as a player. That’s not what higher usage means for White, a point that his father, noted basketball mind Richard White, made while appearing as a guest on CLNS Media’s Garden Report podcast this week. Will Derrick White's stats spike this year? Could he have stardom in him? Richard White: "There are a lot of superstars in the league right now that in the beginning, they weren't that. Brunson was stuck behind Luka in DAL…Shai was stuck behind on (LAC)." @theGardenreport pic.twitter.com/EpaYBLUG7i— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) October 20, 2025 “Basically, (Derrick) doesn’t want to lose,” Richard White said in conversation with CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning. “So whatever it’s gonna take to not lose, is what he’s willing to do. So if that means he has to increase his scoring, he’ll do that … (if it means) be a playmaker and set up people, he’ll do that.” Story continues below advertisement “Usage (to him) means the ball is in your hand to make the correct decision,” White continued. “There are other players in the league (whose) usage means they’re going to increase the number of shots.” Despite Richard White accurately differentiating his son from shoot-first stars in the NBA, he did also talk a little bit about the structure of NBA roles in a way that suggests he feels Derrick has the chance to increase his stardom this season. “There’s a lot of talent in the NBA,” White said. “It’s just a matter of opportunity … there are a lot of superstars in the league right now that, you know, in the beginning, they weren’t that. Brunson was stuck behind Luka in Dallas … Shai was stuck (on the) Clippers, so, you know, there’s a lot of talent out there that people don’t know because they’re kind of hung up on the name of the person, but … the way the NBA is structured, you have to go and you kind of have to wait your turn.” Story continues below advertisement Derrick White has always been underrated by NBA fans because he doesn’t play like the typical star. He does a lot of little things that don’t show up in the box score or the highlight reel, but there are few NBA players who contribute more to winning than White. In recent years, he’s dramatically improved his outside shooting, which has only made him more valuable. It’s not outrageous at all to suggest that White is among the best 10 lead guards in the world, and the Celtics will benefit from his uptick in usage this season, that’s for sure. Story continues below advertisement