Everyone on Boston’s sideline felt as cool as a New England night in December as the Celtics trampled the Wizards in D.C. But the biggest smile came from Derrick White, decked out in a warm-up.
White’s
30-point near-double-double helped the Celtics dismantle the Wizards on Thursday night, delivering Boston’s highest scoring output of the season — and doing so without star Jaylen Brown. White’s all-around performance covered all the bases: 7 rebounds, 9 assists, a steal, and an efficient 57.1% shooting night, giving the Celtics everything they needed from their ninth-year guard.
But for White, it was the result of both the tireless hours he’s put in to shake off his early-season slump and the encouragement of sidelined teammate Jayson Tatum.
“Obviously, he wants to be out there helping us, but he’s always supporting, always positive, and he’s always believed in me,” White said after Boston’s 146-101 win in the nation’s capital. “Stuff like that is encouraging, and when people believe in you, you start believing in yourself a little bit more. So it’s definitely great to have him out there, and he’s encouraging all of us.”
From late October to early November, White collided with an uncharacteristically cold stretch. He averaged just 12.9 points, shooting 33.9% from the field and 25.4% from three from Oct. 26 to Nov. 7 — an eight-game skid that saw the Celtics go 4-4 and slip to 11th in the Eastern Conference. But through it all, White never got too down on himself, knowing that, if needed, Tatum was there as a source of guidance and inspiration.
“It’s something I’ve dealt with my whole life,” White explained. “I’d like to think I’ve gotten a lot better at that — so who knows how bad I was when I was a kid? … It’s just basketball. There are ups, there are downs, and you’ve got to work your way through that.”
When White picked up his second-career technical foul over five weeks ago in a loss to the Pistons, Tatum stood from the bench like a proud father, smiling ear-to-ear as White earned some street cred. It wasn’t a moment of serious drama, but it spoke to the bond between the two and helped lighten one of White’s more frustrating in-game moments.
The two have shared laughs at the podium, the lows of playoff heartbreak, and the highs of a championship run. Now, as Tatum rehabs from the darkest chapter of his career, the six-time All-Star is using his time off the court to impact the team — even without the ball in his hands.
White finished the first half in Washington with 18 points, and that was just the beginning. In the third quarter, the 31-year-old erupted by scoring 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, grabbing four rebounds, and assisting on six Celtics baskets as Boston unloaded a 43-point offensive clinic over the Wizards.
Even though the 2025-26 Celtics have embraced an anyone-on-any-night identity so far, White felt compelled to fill Brown’s leadership role while he rested due to illness.
“He has a lot of responsibility,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “He’s carried us for a while as far as leading the team in steals, leading the team in blocks, doing everything defensively. He does a really good job of knowing when to take over, when to facilitate, and he can be a steadying force. He can go on a run by himself. He’s just got that ‘it’ factor sometimes.
“Tonight, I thought the middle of the second quarter was when he went on his run. I just felt like when we put the ball in his hands, we make great things happen. He started the half — the third quarter — doing a lot of that, too. He’s playing really well offensively for us.”
The version of White — aggressive and offensively unstoppable — that Boston has needed has finally emerged, and at precisely the right time. The Celtics won their third straight and fifth in their last six games, climbing to the No. 5 seed in the East, just 1½ games behind the No. 2 Knicks. It’s a reminder of how high the bar can be set despite a season full of early setbacks, and it shows White just how crucial the best version of himself is to keeping the train running at North Station.
In his last five games, White has averaged 22.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists, shooting 49.4% from the floor and 40.4% from three, all while making life easier for Mazzulla, Brown, and the Celtics as a whole. Striving to maintain the best version of himself night after night is all the veteran sharpshooter and lethal defender White can aim to do as the season progresses.
“I try to be a two-way player,” White said. “I do whatever it takes on both sides. I don’t think there’s ever a game where I’m not gonna be needed defensively — I guess that’s not true. But definitely a lot more on the ball this game, trying to create and get us into the offense. Obviously with JB out, it’s a little bit different, but every game’s a different opportunity, a different challenge, and I look forward to it.”
