Last season, Derrick White was supposed to be one of the driving forces of the Boston Celtics’ offense. In some ways, the assumption came true. His pick-and-roll presence was rock-solid. But his efficiency completely escaped him all year long.
The same White who sat just below 40% from 3-point range in each of his first full three seasons in Boston was gone. In his absence, a version that shot just 32.7% from deep. And his 2-point efficiency was just as brutal. He went from shooting 55% from 2-point land (or better) to just 48.7% last season.
Defensively, White was elite. He earned All-Defensive First Team honors and was one of the best defensive anchors in the league. His rim presence — especially at the guard position — was otherworldly. But the Celtics need more on offense.
With Jaylen Brown gone, replaced by Paul George, and Jayson Tatum back for a full year, White has a chance at a bounce-back. A chance to regain the reputation he had carefully crafted for himself during his years with the Celtics. The question is, can he do it?
Before jumping into any statistics, the answer is yes. Can White get back to form? Absolutely. Any player can have a down year. In his three full seasons with the Celtics, White has shot 56.3% from 2-point range and 38.7% from deep in 231 total games. That’s a much bulkier sample size than one, much different campaign last year.
So, I suppose the real question is will White bounce back? Will he return to the version of himself that spawned his cult hero status in the City of Boston? The version that shot over 40% from deep during Boston’s title run in 2024. The version that has dominated with floaters for years. That’s the version Boston needs back.
Let’s start with the stats. Specifically, the 3-point stats, as White endured a massive drop-off from deep range last season. Spoiler alert: He missed a lot of open shots.
In the 2025-26 season, White shot 101-of-274 (36.9%) on wide-open 3-point attempts. Wide-open attempts, as defined by NBA.com, are shots taken with the closest defender at least six feet away. Meanwhile, in 2024-25, White shot 134-of-336 (39.9%) on those same attempts.
There are a couple of numbers to note here. First of all, obviously, White’s efficiency was worse this past year. But perhaps more notable is the fact that he took 62 fewer wide-open threes. (And for those wondering, he played 76 games in 2024-25 and 77 in 2025-26.)
Throughout his time in Boston, White has had a better connection with Tatum than Brown. Tatum is also a better overall facilitator than Brown. He creates more gravity on the court, teams double-team him more, and his assist-to-turnover numbers are better.
In 2025-26, Brown averaged 9.3 potential assists per game and 3.6 turnovers. In 2025-26, Tatum averaged 11.6 potential assists per game and just 2.9 turnovers. Obviously, Tatum had the benefit of having Brown by his side, but even so, Tatum was doubled more with Brown next to him than Brown was on his own.
Even when Tatum returned from his Achilles injury, he was doubled instead of Brown. After a season of Brown acting as the top option and thriving from an efficiency standpoint, teams still chose to double Tatum. That’s a pretty good gravitational indicator.
The point is, Tatum has a greater ability to draw in defenses and create open looks for teammates than Brown does. Even discounting his better passing skills, teams simply double Tatum more than Brown. That, in and of itself, creates more looks for his teammates.
(Before the comments come flooding in, I know that the time and situation matter when doubling. The Indiana Pacers likely doubled Tatum because it was late in overtime. But the videos are merely one example of a much larger trend.)
For White, Tatum being back in full should lead to more open threes. Consistent space to let it fly from beyond the 3-point arc. Tatum’s return for a full season should help White get in a rhythm and stay there.
But that doesn’t account for everything, because the rest of White’s 3-point numbers took an even bigger efficiency dip. And that may have been his own confidence getting in the way.
White’s number of assisted 3-pointers also
