Appearing at the Las Vegas Summer League on Friday, White spoke about his season and how he's attacking this offseason.
The Boston Celtics kicked off their run in the Las Vegas Summer League on Friday night with an overtime win over the Toronto Raptors.
It was the first look for Celtics fans at rookies Chris Cenac Jr. and Dillon Mitchell, who were selected in this year's NBA Draft. Cenac played his college ball at Houston while Mitchell played his at St. John's.
But while a lot of the focus was on the newest members of the Celtics, several longtime members of the Celtics were in attendance, including Jayson Tatum and Derrick White. Neemias Queta was also present.
White spoke with the media, including Celtics on CLNS, about his offseason, the trade of Jaylen Brown, Queta's extension and much more, including the team's addition of Mitchell Robinson in free agency.
He said that it's going to be great to have Robinson on the roster, calling him a "pain" to play against for years. He also noted that he's one of the best offensive rebounders in the league.
The 28-year-old Robinson is an eight-year veteran of the Knicks, where he's blossomed into a very solid player. He appeared in 60 games this season, starting 16 of them. He averaged 5.7 ppg in just over 19 minutes, finishing eighth in the Sixth Man of the Year voting.
He played in all 18 Knicks playoff games, averaging 4.8 ppg as the Knicks won the title against the San Antonio Spurs. He was given a three-year deal in Boston worth nearly $50 million.
He figures to be the team's starting center, with Queta, Cenac and Luka Garza all expected to contribute. There's even a chance that Queta and Robinson could find themselves in the same rotation if Joe Mazzulla wants to go with a "double-big" look.
White on his offseason
When speaking about his offseason work, White simply said that he doesn't feel he played that well in 2025-26 and he's just focusing on that.
He averaged a career-high 16.5 ppg in 77 games, but his shooting percentages were lower than average. He shot 39.4 percent from the floor and 32.7 percent from three-point range. His shooting from the outside was especially rough in the playoffs, where the Celtics were beaten by the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games in the first round.
Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) returns the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second half during game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. David Butler II-Imagn ImagesBoston traded Brown to Philadelphia last week, seemingly strengthening one of its biggest rivals. In addition to adding Robinson, the Celtics also brought in veteran guard Mike Conley and acquired Paul George in the Brown trade.
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