NBA Notebook: Derrick White gives Joe Mazzulla credit for playoff outbreak

Derrick White spent last summer in Colorado following the Marcus Smart trade and Joe Mazzulla's announcement soon after that Whitte would become the starting point guard for the Boston Celtics. Soon, new Celtics assistant Sam Cassell, a long-time NBA guard, landed in White's home state to share some advice, oversee workouts and forecast how Boston's offense would function over 3-4 days. After weight training sessions that White later quipped gained him 15 pounds and runs through Red Rocks, Cassell and White spent time in the gym together mostly getting on the same page during one week. 

"That's how Derrick has prepared in the offseason, to play with the ball in his hands a lot," White's trainer Marcus Mason said then. "We've done a lot of screen-and-roll stuff, but also continuing to play off the ball and be great in that role. I describe coach (Cassell) as down to business. From the time he walked in the gym, it was like, 'let's go to work.' There wasn't a whole lot of fluff to it. He knew exactly what he was looking for. We meshed really, really well together, but I just saw a guy when you talk about getting over that hump, I think he's gonna have a lot to do from a guard standpoint with helping those guys getting to that next level ... playoff games, back-to-back games. Being able to just grind through the hard times and understand how important it is (and) the legacy these guys can leave." 

White went on to have the best season of his career even with the late addition of Jrue Holiday which forced him to coexist with another veteran guard long used to having a sizable offensive role. Holiday's willingness to sacrifice only further empowered White, and that effectiveness carried into the first round of the NBA Playoffs, where he scored 38 points in a crucial Game 4 road win that swung the first round into a 4-1 Boston win. 

White went to the podium, a spot he's become more comfortable sitting in, stressing that teammates set him up and the importance of responding well to playoff success, because he hadn't in the past. Then, he offered some praise to Mazzulla for empowering him. White went on to score 25 points in the following two games, both wins with Kristaps Porziņģis out of the lineup. 

"Just having a coach that believes in you. Every coach says that, but he just goes above and beyond to prove it to me and I think at the beginning of the year, he's like, 'you're my point guard and I believe in you, I trust in you,'" White said last week. "So hearing stuff like that is always big. I've had a lot of different experiences, so just having that consistency from the beginning, I think, was big. At the end of the day, I just want to help the team win. That's the important thing, but just hearing that and having a coach believe in you is huge. We've grown to know each other, I know what he likes, he knows what I like and what actions we need to get into. Having those conversations throughout the year and having that trust is huge." 

Teammates and coaches have long stressed the importance of an aggressive White, Jayson Tatum openly advocating for it in past playoff runs while Gregg Popovich said White believing that he belongs to the turning point for the young guard's NBA career. The Athletic noted that Boston has won 21 straight games when White attempts 12 or more free throws, but he often found himself on the bench late in games last postseason. A mistake Mazzulla admitted as one of his coaching faults during that run. White astoundingly took only one field goal attempt in crunch time and only played in roughly half of the team's late and close finishes in favor of Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon. White noted clarity on his role as crucial one season later. 

He cooled off in Game 2 against Cleveland after receiving loud chants from the Garden crowd two nights earlier as his heater continued. He had hit 28 threes in six games, the most in the NBA Playoffs, while converting them at a 50% rate. He's still shooting 51.4% from the field, with his 65.8 eFG% only falling from the top mark on Saturday. He's still blocking nearly one shot each game, rarely turning it over (1.0/G) and creating 3.6 assists per night. He's a near-perfect player making everything come together for Boston, with his dunks at Miami emblematic of the level of confidence he's playing with. 

"People are asking if you believe you could be the point guard?" White told Boston Sports Journal Saturday, remembering a question Cassell asked him. "And I was like ‘hell yeah.’ So the belief he had in me was big for my confidence. Every summer you want to get better, I think I have a pretty good routine now. My guy out in Colorado has been great for me my whole career ... but just knowing that you got a bigger role and more opportunity, it’s exciting. It makes you want to work harder and put more work in.” 

White said this season's overwhelming shooting outburst stemmed most from repetitions and getting used to an adjustment he made in San Antonio that took his left thumb on his guide hand out of his follow-through. He had previously flicked the ball with that thumb too, and the transition away from that led to a 31.2% season from deep in 2021-22 between the Spurs and Celtics. That exploded to 38.1% last year, then 39.6% this regular season and 44.4% through eight playoff games. He started 0-for-3 in Game 3, then sunk a pair in the third. Finally, he said. A third make put Boston up by 13 in the fourth. 

He also delivered some of the most inspiring affirmations of Mazzulla's coaching ability that we've heard yet from a Celtics player. Attributing his success directly to Mazzulla's ability to empower him and comparing it directly to past coaches who didn't elevate him to this level, which include some of the league's best. It's a win that Mazzulla appreciated, but mentioned owing to everyone on the team. The little things have mattered to Boston's head coach in those relationships, showing up on the court, grabbing a rebound or two where he can and taking as much feedback from players during games as he gives. 

"That's important," Mazzulla said. "Whether it's a staff member, an employee or a player, they have to feel like there's purpose. They have to feel like they're getting better. They have to feel like there's a compass for them as far as where they want to be 2-3 years from now. They have to feel empowered ... we need all of our guys to be aggressive because each team, each series throughout the year, they've always tried to take away certain things. Sometimes, as the season's progressed, you've seen teams matchup with us differently. Where in the beginning of the year, certain players were matched up on Derrick and then they moved them to Jrue, they even moved them to Jaylen sometimes and they moved smalls to K.P. and had fives on (Derrick) ... once we dictated the pace and started playing faster, that opened it up for Derrick and Jrue and Payton and Sam and those guys." 

That's why a reduction in pace, stops and White's involvement led to a 94-point disaster on offense for the Celtics in Game 2. Mazzulla, when asked about Boston's better record with White more involved, pointed toward his shots coming in transition and against mismatches. If the Celtics were playing with more pace and space, that would naturally allow the ball to land in White's hands more often. Everyone loves the idea of White being more involved in the offense, but part of the reason why he plays such mistake-free basketball is because he only takes what the defense gives him, and that's only available when the Celtics run and execute to their potential on offense. 

When it comes, White's enjoying that success on offense, bouncing past Boston's bench after a driving dunk against Miami that forced a timeout, flashing three fingers, his thumb, pointer and middle ones, when his threes fall in droves while expressing the unreal feeling of everything going down. Donovan Mitchell saw some of those abilities when they played together in the 2019 FIBA World Cup alongside Tatum and Brown, but now it's at a point where you have to contain it, he said. 

JB Bickerstaff's jaw practically dropped at White's impact in Game 1, urging his team to remain calm due to the difficulty of the shots he hit. They made life tough on Tatum and had to do the same for everyone, culminating in one of the best defensive efforts of the season where Cleveland heavily contested 77% of Boston's three-point attempts, according to ESPN. When that happens, White often leads the charge by doing the other things, which Mazzulla has emphasized for Tatum and other struggling Celtics to focus on in order to persevere through slumps. 

"Derrick's the kind of guy where he impacts the game differently," Mazzulla said. "He can have a great game shooting four shots because he has the ability to do it defensively, do it with assists. I think he had 4-5 corner crashes and a free throw rebound crash there, so he's not defined by just one thing and he can impact the game in different ways." 

Here's what else happened around the NBA this week...

Boston (lead 2-1 vs. CLE): Jayson Tatum fell to 40.7% from the field and 26.8% from three this postseason, struggling at 14-for-36 through the first two games against the Cavaliers. Cleveland, like Miami, is showing him crowds, aggressively trying to get the ball out of his hands and limiting his clean looks at the rim. Derrick White (25 pts) and Jaylen Brown (32 pts) helped him overcome that to secure a blowout win in Game 1, but poor rim protection, shooting struggles across the roster (22.9%) and a horrendous second half effort led to a crushing Game 2 loss at home. Tatum shook off the loss, once again refuting the notion that the Celtics should win every game in blowout fashion, and also threw some shade at award voters after finishing sixth in MVP. He began working his way out of that slump by attacking the basket and scoring 33 in a Game 3 win. Elsewhere, former Celtic champion Glen Davis received 40 months in prison for defrauding the NBA's health insurance program. 

Charlotte: Hired Celtics assistant Charles Lee as their next head coach, who in turn added Jazz assistant Lamar Skeeter as his first and top assistant. They'll take over Charlotte's bench this summer, as Lee will remain with Boston for the rest of their playoff run. Lee beat out ESPN analyst JJ Redick, having far more experience between Atlanta, Milwaukee's championship run and a potential Finals push with the Celtics this spring. Charlotte gave Lee, 39, a four-year deal. BSJ profiled Lee's rise from Bucknell standout to Spurs tryout and overseas player to an accomplished coach in the fall. Joe Mazzulla pointed toward internal promotion as likely path to replacing Lee, with Sam Cassell the most obvious candidate to move into the No. 2 spot.

"Happy for him," Mazzulla said. "Great coach. Long overdue, and he's going to do a great job ... everybody hates you. Get used to it. You're no longer the nice, shiny toy."

Cleveland (down 1-2 vs. BOS): Return home undefeated in Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse after scoring an 18-point comeback win in Game 7 over the Magic to avoid losing a 3-2 lead in the series. Donovan Mitchell, who struggled physically through the series, scored 39 points before posting 33 in Game 1 and 29 in a Game 2 stunner at Boston. Jarrett Allen (ribs) remains out and doesn't appear close to returning despite receiving questionable status nightly. The Cavs upgraded Dean Wade (knee) to active for Game 3 on Saturday after he missed the entire first round. Cleveland vowed to make life difficult on Jayson Tatum, prevent easy three-point shots and go to the rim after shooting 82% at the rim in Game 1. That led to a 10-for-13 start inside in Game 2, Evan Mobley finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Mitchell, shooting 53.3% from three on 10 attempts, couldn't lead a Game 3 win despite scoring 33 points again. 

Dallas (lead 2-1 vs. OKC): Luka Dončić scored 29 points with 10 rebounds, seven assists and three steals, hitting five threes while continuing to play through right knee pain and tweaking his left ankle in a win that tied the series against the Thunder going back to Dallas. PJ Washington matched his 29-point double double, while Tim Hardaway Jr. and Josh Green scored double-figures to pick up Kyrie Irving during a nine-point night. More importantly, the Mavs limited Oklahoma City to three double-figure scoring efforts, with depth becoming more important as Dončić manages more physical ailments. He scored 22 points with 15 rebounds after entering Game 3 questionable. Washington scored 27 more points as Dallas defended home court. 

Denver (down 1-2 vs. MIN): Saved their season on Friday night with a 117-90 road win where Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. all reached 20 points while holding Anthony Edwards to 19. The victory followed arguably the worst night of the last two seasons for the Nuggets during their championship chases, Murray scoring eight points in Game 2 and throwing onto the floor during play. The NBA fined Murray $100,000 instead of suspending him for Game 3, another break that probably saved them from first round elimination. The Wolves have battered Denver physically, holding them to 107.2 points per 100 possessions, Jokić to 46.4% FG and Murray to 37.7% FG. Jokić won his third NBA MVP award, beating Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 926-640, with Luka Dončić coming in third, Giannis Antetokounmpo in fourth, Jalen Brunson fifth and Jayson Tatum sixth.