Derrick White is on the verge of accomplishing something never seen before. His first opportunity to do it is on Thursday night vs. the New York Knicks.
Boston Celtics guard Derrick White is looking to make NBA history over the final three games of the regular season.
With games left against the New York Knicks, New Orleans Pelicans and Orlando Magic, White has an opportunity to do something that's never been done before, as noted by ESPN Insights:
If Derrick White gets two blocks over the Celtics final three games, he will become the second player 6'5" or shorter to have 100 blocks in an NBA season since the stat became official during the 1973-74 season
If White breaks the century mark, he'll be the only player in NBA history with 200 3-PT FG and 100 blocks in the same season
The game has certainly changed, with making three-pointers more fashionable, but White's combination of offensive and defensive ability is extremely rare.
He's a major reason why the Celtics won the NBA title in 2023-24 and a major reason why they are on the verge of clinching the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The D-White file
A nine-year veteran of the San Antonio Spurs and Celtics, White is averaging 16.7 ppg this season while shooting 39.7 percent from the floor and 33.0 percent from three-point range (entering play on Thursday). While his point averages are up, his shooting percentages are actually down, but some of that is likely attributed to his bigger volume of shots this season. He shot 44 percent from the floor a year ago and 38 percent from three. He's attempting nearly two more shots a game in this campaign.
As for White's defense, he has been named Second-Team All-Defense in two of the last three seasons and also has finished in the Top 10 for Defensive Player of the Year in two of the last three. He's averaging 1.3 blocks per game and figures to earn similar accolades this year.
In addition to helping the Celtics win the NBA title in 2023-24, he helped Team USA win a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. And he's a big part of why they have been able to overcome the losses of Jrue Holliday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and the injury to Jayson Tatum this season.
Milwaukee Bucks guard AJ Green (20) looks for a shot against Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) in the first quarter at Fiserv Forum. Benny Sieu-Imagn ImagesThings to know
--The Celtics' magic number is one, meaning any combination of C's win and Knicks loss in the final three give the Celtics the No. 2 seed.
--The No. 2 seed will play the No. 7 seed in the first round of the playoffs. Right now that's held by the Magic, but the 7-10 seeds are decided by the play-in tournament.
--This will be the first game back at Madison Square Garden for Jayson Tatum since tearing his Achilles last May in the playoffs.
--Tip-off time is 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will air on Amazon Prime.
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