While there were multiple big men on the court for Celtics vs. Jazz, the leading shot-blocker of the night was a guard. But that can happen on any given night with Derrick White prowling defensively for the Celtics.
White elevated his game to a new level in the Celtics’ win over the Jazz on Tuesday in Utah. He blocked a career-high seven shots, which also tied an NBA record for blocked shots by a guard, per Celtics stats. So White entered the history books Tuesday in a way only he can with his shot-blocking.
“I think a couple of them came on-ball, a couple of them came off-ball,” C’s coach Joe Mazzulla said, via the NBC Sports Boston broadcast. “This year, his role has grown. Tonight, when we went Derrick, Payton (Pritchard), Anfernee (Simons) and Jaylen (Brown), he has to guard the other team’s best players. So he got a couple on pick-and-rolls, on pull-up 3s.
“At the beginning of the game, when he’s kind of roaming and guys he can shift off of, he does a good job of knowing when to help and knowing when to not. Just his defensive versatility. But obviously, he was great tonight, as well.”
White put his imprint on the game with the blocks, but he was also huge for the Celtics in the second half. He scored 22 of his 27 points after the halftime break, shaking off a cold-shooting night. Despite missing his first seven 3-pointers on the night, White was effective for a Celtics team looking to shake off the loss to the Trail Blazers last time out.
It was an impressive performance from the C’s guard considering who else was playing in the game. The Jazz employ multiple big men up and down their roster, including 7-foot-1 Lauri Markkanen, 6-foot-11 Kyle Filipowski and 6-foot-11 Jusuf Nurkic. Despite that, the Jazz had three total blocks compared to White’s seven on the night.
White’s shot-blocking prowess has been a consistent factor for the Celtics. It’s why he’s been named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team two times with the C’s. White’s team defense, where he seems to come out of nowhere, is also a part of his great feel for the game.
“That’s the stuff you can’t teach,” Anfernee Simons said of White. “As much as you try to emulate what he does, you can’t teach that stuff. He’s just so gifted at having a nose to the ball and making the right play, the right defensive play. Like I said, it’s crazy to see. You see it from afar when you’re not on the team, and then now, you see it first-hand.”