Derrick White's Slump Threatens Celtics' Title Defense

0:00On April 23rd, with Jason Tatum sidelined for much of the regular season, the Boston Celtics leaned hard on Derek White to boost their offense. White kept delivering top-tier defense, but his scoring stayed flat while his shooting tanked. He hit a career low 39.4% from the floor on a career high 14.4 attempts per game. His struggles carried right into the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers. Over the first two games, White win just 7 for 22 from the field, that's 31.8% and a rough 4 for 17. From three point range at 23.5%, that inefficiency didn't hurt much in game 1 when Boston cruised to a win, but it played a big role in their game 2 loss. Celtics fans and media piled on the criticism, calling out how his misses opened the door for Philly. Two years back, White was clutched in Boston's championship run, dropping 16.7 points per game on Stellar 45 slash 40 slash 92 shooting splits.

1:00The Celtics know they need that version of him to go deep again this postseason. If White can shake off the slump and heat up from deep, Boston's offense finds its rhythm, keeping their title defense alive and pushing toward. Another final shot. You've been listening to Boston Celtics News today, AI Power Team Coverage.