With Kristaps Porzingis on the town, the Boston Celtics have a brand new beginning heart and a 3rd star to pair with their elite wing duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. A consequence of the deal was shedding Marcus Good, who has been the workforce’s major playmaker for the previous two seasons.
In Good’s first 12 months because the Celtics’ full-time level guard, the workforce made a run to the NBA Finals and averaged a career-high 5.9 assists – a quantity he improved upon this previous season, bringing it to six.3.
And contemplating Boston’s lack of further playmaking behind Good was cited as a major purpose for his or her loss within the 2022 NBA Finals, shedding him could have critical on-court ramifications. Some shops have even claimed that Boston will probably be worse due to their lower in playmaking.
However that’s not truthful to Derrick White.
When Boston traded for White on the 2022 deadline, he was initially projected to be a high-level sixth man behind Good. However as Robert Williams labored on recovering from offseason surgical procedure, White established himself as an everyday starter.
And on the nights Good was out, it grew to become clear that White was greater than able to operating the purpose – from a scoring and playmaking perspective.
Photograph by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Photographs
This realization reached its peak in the course of February when White took residence Japanese Convention Participant of the Week honors, averaging 24.5 factors, 4.8 rebounds, and seven.5 assists over a four-game slate. Good didn’t seem in any of the 4 video games, and Brown missed three of them.
Not solely was White in a position to hold the workforce afloat, however he took it a step additional, carrying them to win after win. And within the sport instantly following his Participant of the Week stretch, White practically led a Boston workforce with out Tatum, Brown, Good, Al Horford, and Robert Williams previous a Milwaukee Bucks workforce lacking solely Khris Middleton.
White’s skill to mould himself into any scenario he’s thrown into shouldn’t be used in opposition to him when discussing Boston’s playmaking talents.
When Good was wholesome, White diverted to a spot-up shooter on the offensive finish who was additionally able to stepping into the lane and ending. His playmaking abilities weren’t crucial, as when the ball touched his arms, he was virtually all the time able to attain.
However when Good was out, and the Celtics wanted a facilitator, he was all the time able to embrace that a part of his sport.
In his 108 video games with Boston, White has averaged 3.9 assists. However within the 23 video games he’s appeared in with out Good, that quantity jumped to five.1 – simply 0.8 assists per sport behind Good’s common in his first 12 months because the Celtics’ start line guard. And because the starting of February, when White’s playmaking abilities actually started to shine, he averaged 5.9 assists in 11 video games with out Good.
White’s dominance continued within the playoffs, the place he performed a vital position within the scoring column as Boston’s stars struggled with inconsistency. He was arguably their finest participant within the first spherical, his red-hot capturing tapered off however reappeared within the second, and within the Japanese Convention finals, White might have been essentially the most constant participant (all main as much as his Recreation 6 heroics).
His comfortability together with his teammates has grown tenfold since he joined the Celtics, and turning into the full-time level guard is the subsequent step in White’s improvement in Boston.
And if White’s stellar play to finish the 12 months, which doubtless made Brad Stevens extra content material with buying and selling Good, isn’t sufficient to sway doubters, simply check out his closing 49 video games with the San Antonio Spurs.
Earlier than getting traded to Boston within the 2021-22 season, White performed 49 video games with the Spurs. And whereas he was nonetheless enjoying alongside Dejounte Murray, who acted as the first level guard, White loved a playmaking increase.
He averaged 5.6 assists per sport in 30.3 minutes of motion per evening – each of which might be career-high marks. However what’s maybe most spectacular when inspecting this stretch is that he did it on a Spurs workforce that went 41-41.
In these 49 video games, White averaged 9.8 potential assists per sport, and he was nonetheless appearing because the secondary playmaker behind Murray. For reference, Good averaged 10.7 potential assists per sport this season as the first playmaker in Boston.
Good’s absence within the Celtics lineup will undoubtedly be felt. His management, hustle, and off-the-court presence can’t be changed. However to say the Celtics are going to be with out playmaking blatantly disregards White’s historical past as a facilitator.
Simply because he’s by no means been put able to be a workforce’s lead passer doesn’t imply he can’t be. Based mostly on the proof, White is able to deal with that problem.
