Celtics adding Paul George could quietly save Derrick White from himself

The Boston Celtics took a step back on paper this season after swapping out Jaylen Brown, their Finals MVP from a couple of years ago, for an aging star in Paul George. Now, their usual place at the upper echelon in the East has become quite hazy ahead of the upcoming campaign.

Be that as it may, one player who could actually end up benefiting a lot from the team bringing in someone like George is Derrick White. The three-time All-Defensive Team member was once again a critical part of Boston's winning rally in the regular season in the previous campaign, but he had his fair share of struggles on the offensive end.

Without Jayson Tatum for all but 16 games last season, White had to take even more shots to help fill his scoring void. Unfortunately, his efficiency took a drastic hit as he finished the campaign hitting just 39.4 percent of all his shots. That is easily a career-worst mark for him. He also only drained 32.4 percent of his triples, which is far from ideal in Boston's shooting-heavy offensive style.

How addition of Paul George can help Celtics' Derrick White

Tatum will take on Brown's void from last season, but the addition of George now gives Boston a second option that they can firmly shoehorn into their pecking order. As such, White should see his role return to being streamlined on the offensive end, and that should work in his favor when it comes to efficiency. 

While White is not someone whose value and impact can be pigeonholed into what his scoring profile looks like, his secondary scoring is key to the Celtics punishing teams for doubling down on Tatum and eventually George. Him being a reliable bailout option will ensure that their offense remains lethal even the defense collapses on his more decorated teammates.

On paper, this Celtics team definitely looks a tad weaker than in years past. However, if Derrick White returns to his old form on offense, that should be able to bridge the gap and help the team maintain its status as a contender.