For the first time in his career, Derrick White has been awarded Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month. The NBA announced that White was selected as the East\u2019s best defensive player for February, while San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembenyama was selected in the West.<\/p>\n
White\u2019s case for the selection was rock solid; the Celtics had the NBA\u2019s best defensive rating in February at 105.5, and White led all NBA guards in 75 total contested shots. He also averaged 1.7 blocks per game, good for the third-most among any Eastern Conference player.<\/p>\n
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And the Celtics\u2019 defense was elite; Boston limited its opponents to a league-low 36.7 field goals per game on a league-low 42.4 percent shooting from the field in February while also ranking second in the NBA in rebounds per game (50.0), second in opponent fast-break points per game (10.9), and third in opponent second-chance points per game (12.5).<\/p>\n
White\u2019s defense has increasingly been recognized in recent years; he was named to the All-Defense Second Team each of the past two seasons, and appears to be well on his way to another selection as the Celtics\u2019 defense continues to dramatically improve.<\/p>\n
On the season, the Celtics now have the fourth-best defense in the league (111.6 defensive rating), trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder, Detroit Pistons, and San Antonio Spurs. (That\u2019s particularly remarkable when you realize that the Celtics had the 19th-best defense back in November).<\/p>\n
And, White has largely anchored that defense, averaging 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals per game, both career-highs.<\/p>\n
Everyone has taken notice of Derrick White\u2019s defensive impact<\/strong><\/p>\n Coaches around the NBA have long been gushing about White\u2019s defensive abilities. Last year, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, who was also a member of the USA Olympic basketball staff, described White\u2019s shot-blocking as one-of-a-kind.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cDerrick is uncanny. He did it all summer long [in the Olympics],\u201d Spoelstra said, hailing White as the best shot-blocking guard in the NBA. \u201cHe just has a knack for the timely blocks.\u201d<\/p>\n Last month, Jaylen Brown praised White for his defensive performance this season, noting he believed White should have been named an All-Star (he\u2019s also averaging 17.1 points and 5.8 assists per game).<\/p>\n \u201cI think Derrick White has been playing at an All-Star level l, because he plays both sides of the ball,\u201d Brown said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s no disrespect to some of those other guys that are maybe in All-Star contention \u2014 but it\u2019s a clear difference.\u201d<\/p>\n Neemias Queta \u2014 also one of the Celtics\u2019 most important defenders \u2014 praised White\u2019s versatility.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like it\u2019s his savviness, just the ability to go out there and just figure out how to make plays no matter what positioning or whoever he\u2019s guarding,\u201d said Queta. \u201cI feel like he\u2019s always got a good chance of getting a stop no matter who he\u2019s guarding, or even off the ball too\u2026 he\u2019s a Swiss army knife, and [he] can do a little bit of everything on both sides of the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n Brown also brought up another award he felt White should be eligible for: Defensive Player of the Year.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Derrick is a First Team All-Defense type of ballot, or maybe even Defensive Player of the Year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n As the Celtics\u2019 team defensive numbers continue to improve, White\u2019s potential candidacy for Defensive Player of the Year has grown stronger, though it\u2019s very unusual for a guard to win the award.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n