Derrick White Q&A: Celtics' Do-It-All Defender Gets Candid

Q: There's no doubt about it, and it shows in the stats. Entering each game, you're a little bit more aggressive, knowing you have to be a little bit more aggressive when it comes to shooting.

White: Especially from last year, a lot of shots left on the table, definitely got a little bit of that. But just trying to understand where we need it, where we need the shots to come from, the timing of them, and try to hit the big ones. We got a lot of guys that could do a lot of different things, and I think this year, a lot of people have been able to show the package, the bag that they have that they might not have been able to show in the past couple years.

Q: Jaylen Brown has stepped up in a major way. He's a top MVP candidate. You've played with him for a number of years. You know him better than almost anybody. What makes this guy so good? I feel like he's so underappreciated, so underrated. People don't realize that he does everything.

White: Yeah, I mean he can just score from everywhere on the basketball court, probably one of the best drivers in the NBA. Just his relentless aggression from the tip off to the end of the game, it kind of wears some teams down. Obviously the mid-range has been a big-time shot for him and able to get into his spot and just continue to read the defenses. 

I think he's seen a lot of different defenses out there, and he's gotten so much better from even a couple years ago of reading them and making them pay for whatever they decide to do. He's someone that's gotten better every year, and this year he's been consistently a big-time player, and he's been really special for us.

Q: As a leader, is he more of a guy that leads by example, or does he also verbally lead where it's a mixture of everything?

White: Yeah, I would say JB is one of our most verbal guys on the team. Obviously, he does lead by example with the way he plays and competes, but he'll definitely be verbal as well and tell you what he sees and ask you questions. He's been big time in that aspect for us as well, because obviously, we lost some leaders over the years. But he's really stepped up in that.

Q: If I were to put you on the spot, what's his best trait? Can you single out one?

White: Probably just his relentlessness. Yeah he's non-stop. You might stop him five straight times, but he's going to keep trying going on that six, and that is what makes it special, and he's going to always figure it out.

Q: Jayson Tatum returned against the Dallas Mavericks. Thoughts on what Jayson brings to the table and thoughts on how he has looked in scrimmages and practices?

White: Jayson Tatum, anytime you can bring him back, it's super exciting. On a personal note, he was excited that he can go out there and compete and get back to doing what he loves to do, but he's been looking good. I feel like since I've seen him in the summer, he looked pretty good then, and so he just continued to put a lot of work in, getting his conditioning, getting his mind so he's comfortable and he's ready to go out there and help us win games. 

That's just his mindset going in, just helping us win games. Adding a guy that can do a little bit of everything out there on the court. It's definitely gonna raise our ceiling, and we got to try to figure it out quickly. ... We have enough time to figure it out, and it'd be great to have him back out there.

Q: It's funny because I just spoke to him last week, and I interviewed him right before the season started, and it seemed like his mood is a lot better. You're around him every day. It's probably safe to say his mood is pretty high. He's in great spirits, right?

White: I mean this is what he loves to do. Anybody that spent time around JT his whole career knows that he loves basketball. For that to be kind of taken away from you for an extended period of time, it's going to wear on you. But I think now that you see the light at the end of the tunnel, you're excited and ready to go.

Q: The Eastern Conference hierarchy, it's changed a little bit in the past couple of years. You got the Pistons now at the top for the time being, and then you got the new-look James Harden-led Cavaliers. Talk about that a little bit. What's the difficulty in beating those teams, the Pistons and the Cavs?

White: The Pistons, they're physical. They're big at every position. It's a war out there. You gotta be able to bring it, bring your hard hat, and know it's going to be a physical game for 48 minutes. Cleveland, we haven't played them with James yet, but they've always been really good, and James kind of gives them a different element than they've had in the past. 

Obviously, [Darius] Garland was really good, but James and all the other additions they've added kind of give them some new life. They're looking really good right now, and the Eastern Conference playoffs is going to be a challenge, and so we gotta be ready to go for that.

Q: You guys are used to making deep postseason runs. You've been through it all, a number of different teams, a number of different starts. What's going to be the key this year and to getting deep into the playoffs and getting through those teams?

White: I think health always has been a big part of it, but I think whoever's playing their best at that time, the most connected team, especially during the playoffs, things might go up there, there's ups or downs, and so the teams that are able to stick together through it all, and figure out ways to win always go deep in the playoffs. It's going to be a challenge. I think there's a lot of teams that are pretty confident going into the playoffs, or will be confident going into the playoffs.

Q:  I want to get your quick thoughts on what Nikola Vučević, a veteran and two-time All-Star, has brought to the team. And what are your season objectives? Is it safe to say for you, it's just to win a championship at this stage?

White: Boots has been great. Obviously a guy that has done a lot in this league, but he comes in and can shoot it from the perimeter, he could post up smalls, he could pass. He's got a lot of versatility that we could take advantage of, and whatever matchup a team decides to play against us, we kind of have to figure out an answer for that. 

He's also a good rebounder as well, so it's been great to have him. We're just trying to get him up to speed and comfortable as well. He's done a great job of trying to just figure it out as quickly as possible. We play in Boston, so it's always that championship mindset, and that's what we're going for.