Derrick White Isn’t Paying Attention to All-Star Campaign Small Talk
Derrick White, a guard with the Boston Celtics, has put together a strong case for inclusion as an All-Star, sparking a heated debate between supporters and detractors of the 31-year-old traveling to Indianapolis over several months.
White made his debut as a full-time starter for the first time and has since thrived, as have the Celtics under head coach Joe Mazzulla. White continued to be one of the top two-way guards in the NBA, averaging a career-high 16.8 points and leading all guards in blocks per game (1.2).
Regardless of your opinion regarding White’s eligibility for the All-Star Game, one thing is certain: he doesn’t give a damn.
“I believe that early in my career, what people believed and said really mattered,” White stated on the group’s “View
from the podcast “The Rafters.” As of right now, there isn’t much you can do. Any action you take will irritate someone. You are familiar with me, then. Accept the evil as low and the good as lofty. It no longer truly affects me, especially with regard to those who are unaware of the daily events that go on.
Boston’s 2023–24 season has had one straightforward theme: Demand sacrifice in order to improve the club. Newcomers
and Jrue Holiday have been able to make President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens appear like a genius because of this. As a result, the attack has been able to reassess and more effectively employ its variety of weapons to pose a threat to the defenses of the opposition. Most significantly, through 48 games, it has improved the Celtics to an NBA-best 37-11.
Boston began the season with a franchise-record 20-game winning streak at TD Garden and successfully defended its home court with a 22-2 record, the best of any team in the league. That’s absurd, particularly for a group of inexperienced players who all have high personal standards and are expected to prioritize their positions in the rankings.
Since the Celtics acquired White from the San Antonio Spurs in 2022, he has represented those ideals maybe more than anyone else on the team. It’s just recently gained more attention since, in addition to being a starter for Boston, White is one of the few teams who have truly challenged the Celtics.
That, of course, does not ensure that White be selected as an All-Star for the first time.