Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Praises ‘New Version’ of Derrick White After Game 1 Win

Highlights

Derrick White’s 25-point performance helped secure Celtics’ decisive Game 1 win.
Jaylen Brown praised White’s growth and contribution to Celtics’ success throughout the year and in the postseason.
White’s impressive playoff performances cements him as a key player in Celtics’ pursuit of a title.

The Boston Celtics cruised to victory in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night, sending the home crowd happy with a tidy 120–95 win.

Celtics guard Derrick White once again stepped up in a big way for the team, scoring 25 points including shooting 7-of-12 from beyond the arc to help Boston take the lead early and never give it back to the Cavs.

White’s performance got a shout-out from teammate Jaylen Brown, who led the Celtics with 32 points on the night.

“If you don’t Derrick White, you better get to know him,” Brown told TNT in his post-game interview.

Brown’s praise for his teammate continued while speaking with reporters after the game.

“Derrick White has grown. This is a new version that we haven’t seen before,” Brown said, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “He’s put the work in, his body has developed a little bit, and he’s got some playoff experience.”

The love went both ways, with White praising Brown on his stellar game as well.

“He’s unbelievable,” White said. “He had it going, but he was also making the right read, creating stuff for myself and the team. He was unreal tonight. Started the game off big for us, and just consistently made the right play. When he’s got it going, it’s fun to watch.”

Derrick White’s Performance on Tuesday Was Illustrative of the Celtics’ Dominance As a Whole

Celtics have so much talent across their roster, it’s almost impossible for them to have a bad night

Heading into the season, chances are you would struggle to find a Celtics fan willing to put White higher than the fifth-best player on the roster. But over the course of the year, and now especially in the playoffs, White has proven time and time again that he can step up as the hot hand when called upon for Boston.

With Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis currently sidelined due to injury, the team needed to get some more points from further down the roster. White has answered the call with aplomb, averaging 29.3 points per game since Porzingis left the floor.

White only cleared 25 points in a game seven times across the entirety of the regular season, but has already eclipsed the mark three times in six playoff games. His 22.4 points per game in the playoffs is a full seven points ahead of where his average stood through the regular season.

The depth provided by players by White is a big reason why the Celtics are favorites to lift the title this year. While he can spend any game playing more in his role as a distributor, White can turn on the scoring if it is needed. On Tuesday night, he was ready to do just that.