NBA Notebook: Erik Spoelstra remembers Derrick White blocking everyone on Team USA

Erik Spoelstra remembers Derrick White blocking every member of Team USA at one point. 

LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, bigs like Bam Adebayo, Anthony Davis and Joel Embiid all felt White's rim protection during the summer lead-up to the Olympics.

"Derrick is uncanny," Spoelstra remembered earlier this season. "He did it all summer long, too. In practices, I think he got everybody at some point in practice, and in the competitions, he just had a knack for the timely block. It wasn't just the number of blocks, they're always at the right time." 

White missed the national team's training camp because he wasn't invited. Kawhi Leonard originally projected to play for the US before backing out with a knee injury. That overshadowed his injury replacement, along with questions over why Jaylen Brown wasn't named to the team. Yet White entered the team's rotation in Abu Dhabi against Serbia with four rebounds and an assist in nine minutes. In London, he grabbed three boards and dished five assists in the exhibition thriller against South Sudan. He didn't block any shots in either game. Those came on the practice floor against his teammates when he met them in the Middle East. 

"It was our last practice, or the last time we scrimmaged," White said. "It was good for me, because I had taken some time off, so obviously I missed the training camp they had in Vegas, so I felt like I was a little behind. After that scrimmage, I felt like, 'Ok, I'm back to where I need to be.' That was a lot of fun, a high-level scrimmage, a lot of great players just competing." 

Soon, Celtics fans erupted over Steve Kerr's handling of Jayson Tatum's playing time when he did not appear in the group stage opener against Serbia. Instead, White logged 15 minutes with two steals and a block. The focus on Brown and Tatum's situations ignored Jrue Holiday, the US' first choice to join the roster, ascending to a critical starting role on the roster while White added to the confidence he built through his first three Boston seasons and a championship run. 

Spoelstra, serving as an assistant on Kerr's staff, watched in 2023 as White put back Marcus Smart's miss before the buzzer to stun the Heat in Miami and force a Game 7 after trailing 3-0 in the east finals series. White helped Boston beat the Heat the year before after joining the Celtics at the trade deadline, then unloaded on Miami in the first round of last year's playoffs. Spoelstra lived the LeBron James and Paul Pierce Heat-Celtics battles and after nearly one decade of postseason battles, couldn't believe he liked the Celtics.

"I mentioned to all of the Celtics from that summer, I hated myself for actually liking them, and then admitting it, I hated myself even more," Spoelstra said. "They're just quality human beings, great competitors, great basketball players. I have the utmost respect for Derrick, he's a winning player. Now, he's doing things that the rest of the people recognize, but the people who have competed against him realized pretty quickly these last handful of years how much he impacts winning, and that's way more than the 3-point shooting."

White's role diminished into the late stages of the run after hitting all three shot attempts against South Sudan in the group stage and blocking a pair of shots against Brazil. He and Tatum mostly watched one of the greatest games in basketball history, where American icons Durant, Curry and James drove a late comeback win over Serbia. Tatum returned to the rotation for the gold medal game against France, which mostly came at the expense of White's minutes -- whose willingness to not play, and ability to do so when necessary, made him an unexpected choice. But White competed in the 2019 World Cup as a member of the Spurs, which made him familiar with Tatum, Kerr and others who tried out. 

White returned from the experience taking another step, maintaining a 38.2% mark from three on 9.1 attempts per game that allowed him to break Isaiah Thomas' 2017 Celtics single-season threes made record earlier this week. While Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard also raced to Thomas' mark, and could conceivably catch White or surpass his record in the future as three-point volume only ascends in Boston and around the league, White got it first. While assisting 4.7 times per game. While blocking 1.0 shot every night. His transition takeaway from Bam Adebayo after a turnover was the highlight of his latest battle with the Heat. Around the league, he's become revered for starring in his role. D'Angelo Russell last year said he wanted to be Derrick White. 

He's also become as close as any teammate has to Tatum, who argued with White from across the locker room while talking to the media after White broke the record, then jokingly bickered with him while tossing expletives on Friday. They've debated the greatest Celtics and Lakers of all time and engaged in a deadly two-man game on the floor. Tatum wanted White to receive his first technical foul, to get his street cred up, and the public address at TD Garden initially accidentally announced one late in Boston's latest win over the Suns. 

Tatum went on to mention that he and Holiday knew the special impact he'd bring to the US team that their teammates soon realized. His disruption and positioning helped them most, along with a shot-blocking skill that Spoelstra begrudgingly compared to Dwyane Wade's, who blocked 0.9 shots per game in Miami and intentionally played the low man in rotation for Spoelstra's defense. Earlier this season, White did the same in a center-less lineup, blocking two shots guarding inside against Toronto. He's averaged 1.0 BPG with Boston.

"That means a lot from Spo," Tatum said. "There's no love lost between the Heat and the Celtics, but just acknowledging a special person and a player, even if it's from a rival." 

With an NBA championship and gold medal in hand, along with a Celtics record, White told Draymond Green that the Warriors changed his life after the 2022 Finals. Their defense, able to ignore and play him off the court as White fell to 29.4% after a strong Game 1 to start the series. White went to work and has hit 38.6% from deep ever since. Anyone could have traded for him that year, and now a staple for the Celtics and perhaps Team USA as well, he's someone everyone around the NBA would kill to have. 

Kerr often turned to Holiday and White together over the summer, the two players who shot the least attempts in Boston's lineup as they blew out the Suns on Friday. 

"I've been a fan of his game before," Devin Booker told Boston Sports Journal. "After Kawhi went out, a lot of people were skeptical about bringing him in and I knew right away that he'd be a perfect fit. He does the same thing there that he does here for them. Definitely someone you can't leave open. He's always being aggressive and that's what you have to be if you're the second, third or fourth option to relieve pressure from everybody else. Defends at a high level. He's just a perfect glue guy, and I wouldn't even limit to calling him a glue guy. He does a little bit of everything." 

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

Atlanta (36-40): Lost two straight to keep the chance that they could miss the 7-8 play-in game alive. ESPN, however, still gives Magic-Hawks a 59% chance of happening later this month. The Hawks lead Chicago and Miami by 1.5 games, and only trail the Magic by 1.0. Atlanta faces New York and Utah this weekend before the first of two games late in the schedule against Orlando starting on Tuesday on the road. They split two games earlier this season without Jalen Johnson and Clint Capela, as Atlanta will inevitably appear in a play-in matchup. Dyson Daniels (217), on the verge of entering the top-25 on the all-time single-season steals list, is 90 steals ahead of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in second place.

Boston (57-20): Jaylen Brown continued playing through his right knee bone bruise that forced him to miss three straight games last month, resting on Monday in Memphis before returning, advancing past early struggles in Wednesday's loss to the Heat before scoring an efficient 31 points on the Suns on Friday. Brown explained after the game how he's learning to play through pain that'll inevitably afflict him in the playoffs, but he's hoping a planned treatment with the team's medical staff will have him feeling better and able to play more than his current 30-minute limit. Brown needs to play in four of the Celtics' final five games to remain eligible for All-NBA status, something he said isn't part of his consideration over whether to play late in the schedule. He also added that rest won't necessarily help him. Boston finishes its regular season this week against Washington, between New York and Orlando in a back-to-back, returning home for a mini-series with Charlotte. The Maine Celtics advanced to the G-League east finals against Osceola. JD Davison, Boston's two-way guard in his third season at 22, won G-League MVP after a dominant season. He scored 32 points with 17 assists in the semifinal against Westchester.

Chicago (35-42): Held the line alongside the Heat in the east play-in race, although they hold a minimal chance of ascending to the 7-8 play-in game. They currently lose tiebreakers to both Atlanta and Orlando based on conference record. Losses to Dallas and Oklahoma City still featured their recent offensive spike before it proved enough to beat the Raptors and Blazers. They host the Heat on Wednesday in a likely play-in preview more consequential to the Cavs than Celtics, but they're still worth keeping an eye on. Coby White stayed hot, Josh Giddey cooled down and rookie Matas Buzelis continued his steady improvement since receiving consistent playing time. 

Denver (47-31): Nikola Jokić scored the first 61-point triple-double over the Wolves with 27 and 33-point performances against Utah and Golden State. Minnesota beat the Nuggets after Russell Westbrook missed a transition layup with the lead then fouled Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the corner the other way, who converted his free throws to win the game. Michael Malone defended Westbrook after the game. Jokić, meanwhile, still trails Shai Gilgesous-Alexander in the MVP race, according to ESPN's final straw poll. Gilgeous-Alexander topped Jokić, 77-23, in first-place votes while the rest of the second place went to Jokić. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished ahead of Jayson Tatum, 53-41, with Donovan Mitchell far behind them in fifth. Denver fell behind the Lakers in the west standings to fourth by 0.5 games with their loss to Golden State on Friday. 

Detroit (43-34): Clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2019 after one of the great turnarounds in NBA history, the Pistons finishing 14-68 in last place in 2024 while tying the longest losing streak ever at 28. They briefly moved up to fifth in the east ahead of the Bucks before engaging in an all-out brawl last Sunday against the Wolves, Marcus Sasser, Ron Holland II and Isaiah Stewart ended up in a scrum along the baseline that spilled into the front of the crowd. It started when Holland knocked the ball away from Naz Reid following tensions between Stewart and Donte DiVincenzo on the play before. All five players received ejections alongside Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff and Wolves assistant Pablo Prigioni. The 12 technical fouls handed out marked the most in an NBA game since 2005. Stewart received a two-game suspension while Holland, Sasser, DiVincenzo and Reid all missed one game. The absences led to a blowout loss to the Thunder that allowed Milwaukee to move past the Pistons with the tiebreaker. 

Memphis: Ja Morant received a $75,000 fine after continuing to do his finger gun celebration following three-pointers. The NBA warned him to stop the gesture, which it considered not violent in nature but inappropriate before it appeared again during the Grizzlies' win at the Heat. Morant scored 30 points on 11-for-22 shooting and poured in the game-winning fadeaway in the paint over Kel'el Ware, who he went at in his emotional post-game walk-off interview. Memphis' struggles continued following Tuomas Iisalo's takeover as interim head coach. His biggest change involved more Zach Edey minutes, who's averaging 9.0 PPG and 10.5 RPG across four starts where the Grizzlies went 1-3. Iisalo mentioned Morant's preference in playing with Edey before Boston beat Memphis, 117-103, on Friday. Al Horford drained six threes and scored 26 points shooting over Edey and Jaren Jackson Jr. coming off the bench for Xavier Tillman Sr., the former Grizzlie who Joe Mazzulla started to receive acknowledgment during introductions in his return. Tillman shot 0-for-5 from three and revealed swelling returned in his left knee recently that he received shots for, and that his condition has improved since. Tillman played in Memphis from 2020-24. The Grizzlies are currently tied for sixth in the west with the Clippers and Wolves after losing 7-of-10. 

Miami (35-42): Won their sixth straight game in Boston, ending a stretch where the Heat lost six in a row and 10-of-11 to the Celtics since their 2023 east finals victory. A significant offensive turnaround powered their recent success, although a softer schedule was likely the bigger factor with wins over Charlotte, Philadelphia and Washington. The Celtics were missing Kristaps Porziņģis, Al Horford and Jrue Holiday, and played experimental lineups without a center throughout. Miami remains a first-round possibility for Boston, which would mark the fourth straight year they've faced off in the playoffs, but they need to climb past Atlanta, who the Heat fell 1.5 games behind with their loss at Memphis. The Hawks own the tiebreaker over the Heat on conference record. Tyler Herro scored 35 points at the Grizzlies after posting 25 points, six rebounds and nine assists in Boston. 

Milwaukee (42-34): There's rising hope that Damian Lillard will play again this season after the discovery of a deep vein thrombosis in his right calf last month. Doc Rivers said Lillard is feeling much better as he continues his blood-thinning treatment. Lillard missed his eighth straight game on Thursday, over which Milwaukee is 4-4 following wins over the Suns and 76ers. Giannis Antetokounmpo poured out 35 points, 17 rebounds and 20 assists at Philadelphia, carrying the Bucks as they hope to stay above the six-seed, which would line them up against the Knicks in round one before a likely meeting with Boston in round two. They own the tiebreaker with Detroit, vaulting them into fifth after the win, but two games remain between the teams on April 11-13 in a home-and-home to close the season. Rivers moved past Phil Jackson for seventh place all-time in coaching wins. 

Minnesota (45-32): Anthony Edwards is off the injury report after turning his ankle along the sideline and briefly leaving the Wolves' win over the Nets. He stepped on Nets coach Jordi Fernández' foot while fading away on a corner three, which led Fernández to apologize for not getting out of the way quickly enough. The Wolves have won four straight, staying in the mix to finish above the play-in line in the loaded west. The long battle between owner Glen Taylor and prospective buyers Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez ended this week with Taylor agreeing to sell their group 100% of the team for $1.5 billion as they agreed to in 2021. Taylor previously said the team is no longer for sale after Lore and Rodriguez allegedly didn't meet a payment deadline. An arbitrator ruled in Lore and Rodriguez' favor earlier this year. The purchasing group added former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, billionaire former Google executive Eric Schmidt, and Blue Owl Capital, an NBA-approved alternative asset management company to add to their money pool. 

New York (48-28): Jalen Brunson (ankle) returned to practice alongside Miles McBride (groin) and Cam Payne (ankle) as Brunson's return looms from missing one month following a bad sprain. The team upgraded him to questionable ahead of Saturday's game at the Hawks. New York has held on to the third seed comfortably despite dipping to 8-6 in Brunson's absence, giving them more time to be careful with the injury ahead of the playoffs. They host the Celtics on Tuesday, a potential playoff preview after Boston beat them decisively in the first three meetings this year. Brunson needs to appear in four of the Knicks' final six games to remain eligible for All-NBA. OG Anunoby made his pitch to win Defensive Player of the Year this week, though Draymond Green, Dyson Daniels, Jaren Jackson Jr., Lu Dort and Evan Mobley will all likely finish ahead of him in the voting. Carmelo Anthony was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He played seven seasons in New York, becoming a Knicks icon after starting his career in Denver and winning a national championship at Syracuse as a freshman. He became a three-time gold medalist in the Olympics and finished 10th all-time in NBA total scoring. 

Orlando (38-40): Paolo Banchero scored 33 points with 18 rebounds and eight assists as the Magic beat the Wizards to secure further their spot in the 7-8 play-in game, one game ahead of the eighth seed Hawks and 2.5 over Miami and Chicago with four to play. They'll host the Celtics on Wednesday, a likely rest night for Boston on the second half of a back-to-back, and have two chances to put the Hawks away over the final week. Basketball Reference now gives them a 62.4% chance to finish seventh in the east, and a 44.5% shot at winning the play-in and advancing to face the Celtics in the first round. They split their first two meetings to begin the year. Dwight Howard, who made five All-NBA First Teams, reached the 2009 NBA Finals and won three Defensive Player of the Year honors with the Magic, will be inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame this year. 

Philadelphia (23-54): Joel Embiid will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to address swelling in hopes he can return for next season. He's only appeared in 58 games since winning the 2023 MVP, including 19 this season after he began the year unable to go after intending to miss back-to-backs for the rest of his career. Uncertainty remains over his status moving forward, but this surgery at least projects to involve less recovery time than some of the more invasive procedures might have. The Sixers, losers of 10 straight, also shut down Tyrese Maxey for the season, who's been out with a finger injury since early March. They're currently the fifth-worst team, two games above the Nets.

Phoenix (35-42): Lost badly to the Celtics again on Friday to fall to five straight losses, 4-6 over their last 10 and 2.0 games behind the Kings in the west postseason picture with only five difficult games left to play. Kevin Durant (ankle) missed the start of their road trip and hasn't progressed to on-court work, Mike Budenholzer said on Friday. The Suns are hopeful he'll return before the end of the regular season. Phoenix ends the year against Sacramento, a potential make-or-break game, but the Kings also own the tiebreaker over them based on conference record. Bradley Beal shot 0-for-7 with one point in his return from a hamstring injury. It appears that the Suns are on the verge of the end of an era that never truly started between Durant, Beal and Devin Booker, with some kind of breakup seemingly inevitable if they miss the playoffs. 

Washington (17-60): Marcus Smart played in the Wizards' loss to the Magic on Thursday, but has managed a finger injury late in his stint to end the season with Washington, making his status uncertain when the Wizards visit Boston on Sunday at 6 p.m. It would mark his second game playing against the Celtics after returning with a win in December with the Grizzlies, though he appeared off the bench and played sparingly late in the game. Memphis later traded him to the Wizards in a salary dump before the deadline. Smart is averaging 9.3 PPG and shooting 39.2% from three in 15 games with Washington. Kyshawn George, Khris Middleton and Richaun Holmes missed Thursday's game alongside Bilal Coulibaly, Malcolm Brogdon and Corey Kispert, who have been out with long-term injuries for a Wizards team hunting for the top pick in June's draft.