Derrick White on what makes a good role player: "You got to get over yourself, it's not about you"
Derrick White is the ultimate definition of a role player. He plays behind four All-Star teammates in Boston and doesn't try to steal the limelight from any one of them. Yet, whenever D-White's number is called, he always gets the job done and does it really well.
When asked about the secret to being a very good role player, the 6'4'' guard said it's all about being selfless.
"I'd say number one, you got to get over yourself," explained White on The Old Man and the Three podcast. "It's not about you. There's times where I don't touch the ball for ten possessions in a row. And I just got to be ready to go for when I do get my opportunity. So obviously, you got to defend, you got to run in transition, you got to be in the right spot. But just always staying ready, which is not easy… Just stay ready, stay confident, and then be aggressive when it's your turn."
White earned his minutes playing defense
When the Celtics added Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday this season, Derrick had to play even harder on defense to stay on the court. The hard work has paid off, as even with Holiday, White has started all of the 30 games he's played this season.
"I mean, that's kind of how I got into the rotation and into the lineup was on the defensive end," added White. "Just trying to chase around the best players and make them work. Eventually, as my offensive game caught up to my defense. I mean, every time I'm out there, I'm just trying to help us win. Like I'm not really trying to score 20. I don't even care if I get ten assists."
The 29-year-old isn't trying, but he's producing. White is averaging career highs for the season with 17.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. He also leads the Celtics at 5.3 assists per contest.
Derrick's net plus/minus of +14.1 is the best on the team. White also ranks 8th in the entire NBA in win shares per 48 minutes, trailing only Joel Embiid, SGA, Nikola Jokic, Tyrese Haliburton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, teammate Kristaps Porzingis, and Anthony Davis.
JJ Redick pushed for Derrick to play in the ASG
Because of White's impressive showing, Redick pushed for his All-Star candidacy during a previous podcast episode. JJ enumerated Derrick's rankings in various advanced stats metrics and concluded that he is one of the best two-way players in the league.
"What you're seeing is one of the best two-way players in the NBA, impacting winning on the best team in basketball," said Redick."They're real stats. And historically speaking, since we've started using these things, they've reflected how good a player is and how much impact he has on winning. They're not made out of thin air on a whim to troll us."
Interestingly, White received enough All-Star votes to rank 8th among Eastern Conference guards. At 175,940, though, he's too far to catch up and earn a starting spot.
When the coaches select the rest of the lineup, it's also unlikely that the gritty 6'4'' guard will be named an All-Star this year with many more prominent names in the mix. But there is no question that Derrick has proved that even fans look up to role players now.
