Derrick White has made a name for himself in the NBA as a defensive stopper in the backcourt as one of the best defensive guards in the league. And for good reason, given the impact he has had on that end of the court, first with the San Antonio Spurs and now with the Boston Celtics. The Colorado native knows where his bread is buttered when it comes to his foundational play at the NBA level, and he broke down the role defense has played in his career in a recent videoput together for fellow Boston sports icon Mookie Betts' official YouTube page.
"My charges have gone down as I've gotten older, but I needed to do it," said White. "I've got no choice, if you want to play, you have to find a way to get on the court." In fact, the offensive aspect
of the Celtics guard's game came along later in his career.
"I think it kind of just happened," he explained. "Obviously, getting traded to Boston, trying to figure it out and they trusted me to (shoot), or (said), 'You can shoot more, you can do this,' and just finding my game, finding where I fit in."
"Playing with (Jayson Tatum) and (Jaylen Brown) and Jrue (Holiday), all those guys, learning from them, they made it easier for me to go out there," said White.
"And then, once you get your confidence … I figured some things out as you go on. And then you get to a bigger stage of playing in the playoffs, going deep in the playoffs, and it changes a little bit."
Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on:
Blue Wire: https://tiny.ee/CdKp
iTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47
YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Derrick White on how trust of Boston Celtics helped him grow his offensive game
