Derrick White, Draymond Green
The Boston Celtics entered the season with outside skepticism, but by January, the results tell a different story. Boston has emerged as one of the league’s most efficient teams, sitting near the top of the Eastern Conference while posting elite marks on both ends of the floor. A major driver behind that growth has been the steady evolution of Derrick White, whose expanded offensive impact now matches his defensive reputation.
White has been in Boston for nearly four years since arriving in a trade with the San Antonio Spurs, and his importance has only increased with time. The 31 year old has grown into a fixture for the Boston Celtics, combining versatility, decision making, and perimeter defense with a far more reliable shooting stroke. That combination has made his contract and two way production nearly untouchable within the organization.
A Finals Moment That Sparked Change
White’s path in Boston did not feel automatic at first. His defensive impact was immediate, but his three point shot fluctuated during his early stretch with the Celtics. Even so, White played a key role as Boston reached the 2022 NBA Finals only months after his arrival. That series produced a moment that reshaped how he approached his game, thanks to Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, Essentially Sports reports.
During Game 1 of the Finals, White knocked down five three pointers in a Celtics win. Shortly after, Green addressed the performance on his podcast, suggesting that the outburst alone would not decide the series. White later explained on his White Noise Podcast that the comment struck a nerve for the right reasons.
“So, Game 1, I hit like six threes. Then he went on his podcast and was like, ‘Derrick hit six threes, but like, that’s not gonna beat us,’” White explained on a recent episode of his White Noise Podcast. “In my mind, I was like, ‘I know what he’s talking about.’ In the long run, it didn’t beat them. That was a real motivating thing for me to get in the gym, to get my shot more consistent so nobody guards me [like that] or treats me like that. If they leave me open, I’m gonna make them pay. That was a big turning point for my career. I know going in that they weren’t going to guard me, and I couldn’t make them pay. Now teams can’t do that. I told Draymond after we won the Olympics in France. I was like, ‘You kind of changed my career.’ It kind of gave me that motivation that whole summer, I was like, I gotta be better,” White added.
White said he understood exactly what Green meant. In his mind, the Warriors were willing to live with him taking open shots because the consistency was not there yet. Rather than bristling at the comment, White used it as fuel. He described the moment as motivation to get back into the gym and remove any doubt teams had about leaving him unguarded.
At the time, Green’s assessment lined up with the numbers. Through his first 26 games as a Celtic, White connected on just over 30 percent of his three point attempts. His playoff shooting that year ticked up slightly but remained well below league average. Boston reached the Finals anyway, but White knew the gap in his offensive profile.
From Role Player to Reliable Threat
The seasons that followed show why White considers that Finals exchange a turning point. His three point efficiency climbed sharply in the years after the Warriors series, jumping into the high 30s and staying there across multiple seasons, per FanSided. The improvement forced defenses to treat him differently and opened up more space for Boston’s offense to operate.
White later told Green directly how much the moment mattered, explaining that the feedback pushed him to rework his preparation and sharpen his shot. That summer became a personal reset, one that changed how teams guarded him and how he viewed his own ceiling.
While attention often gravitates toward Boston’s top scorers, White has become one of the team’s most dependable pieces. He fills gaps, adapts to different roles, and can scale his scoring up or down depending on the night. White has acknowledged that the line between star and role player can feel thin, but his approach centers on flexibility rather than labels.
Some nights call for defensive focus and ball movement. Others demand aggressive scoring. White has embraced both, and the result is a player whose growth mirrors Boston’s rise. A single Finals moment did not define his career, but it helped unlock the version of Derrick White the Celtics rely on today.