Derrick White is spending his All-Star break exactly how he wants it — feet up, family time, and recharging for the stretch run and a Celtics playoff push that may or may not include Jayson Tatum.
There was a real chance the break would have included a flight to Los Angeles alongside Jaylen Brown. White started the season slowly but caught fire in December, averaging 22.3 points on 45% shooting and a sizzling 38.2% from three — easily his best month of the year. National voices like Zach Lowe were openly campaigning for his first All-Star nod.
Then January hit.
White shot just 26% from three and averaged only 14.7 points per game. For context, January has been his worst shooting month across nearly nine full NBA seasons (career 33.7% from deep).
“Obviously, this year has been kind of crazy and not shooting the way that I wanted to,” White said on the latest episode of his White Noise podcast with Alex Welsh. “I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job of keeping a positive mindset and doing other things to help the team win. And if I shot it the way I know I’m capable of, I probably would be [an All-Star].”
The numbers tell the story of a drastically different offensive role without Tatum. According to Synergy Sports, White is now the pick-and-roll ball-handler on 34.6% of his possessions (up from 22.8% last season) and spots up just 24.8% of the time (down from 34.1%). His efficiency as a pick-and-roll handler has stayed almost identical (.954 points per possession this year vs .964 last year), but his spot-up efficiency has dropped sharply from 1.288 to .940.
Still, White knows exactly what he brings — and while he wouldn’t say it himself, his best friend and podcast co-host Alex Welsh did.
“You said something cool in our group text,” Welsh revealed on the show. “We were all voicing our opinions… and you said, ‘I don’t have All-Star numbers, just All-Star impact.’”
The numbers back him up completely. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Celtics are +9.5 points per 100 possessions with White on the floor. He anchors one of the league’s best defenses and consistently delivers in the clutch.
Even Celtics president Brad Stevens made it clear earlier this month: “Everybody’s going to focus on his shooting, but every time he’s on the court, we win by a lot.”
Tatum’s eventual return should help restore some of White’s preferred spacing and spot-up opportunities, but the bigger picture is already set. While an All-Star trip to Los Angeles would have been a nice personal milestone, Boston fans would much rather have the version of Derrick White who delivers All-Star impact every single night — especially when the playoffs arrive.