The Athletic's John Hollinger is one of the best basketball writers on the planet, adding weight to his recent endorsement of Derrick White to make First Team All-Defense this season.
Appearing on The Zach Lowe Show on Tuesday, Hollinger made his case for the Boston Celtics guard to best his pair of previous Second Team All-Defense elections.
“Best rim-protecting guard in basketball by a mile,” Hollinger said. “Crazy good at defending transition sequences, fast breaks, good hands … but the fact that he adds rim protection from the point guard position that just is like a next-level thing that makes him so valuable.”
Kenny Atkinson on why he thinks Derrick White is a Top 5 player in the NBA:
"What probably people aren't measuring is his defensive impact ... analytically I think it's probably proven in various places that he is that player and that's how we treat him."
"He really disrupts… https://t.co/uKwr1QwmVt pic.twitter.com/GDXsc5dXvr
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) March 8, 2026
White, 31, is averaging a career-best 1.4 block per game this season for the Celtics, who are now 43-22 after a loss in San Antonio on Tuesday night.
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