Last season, Derrick White was supposed to be one of the driving forces of the Boston Celtics' offense. In some ways, the assumption came true. His pick-and-roll presence was rock-solid. But his efficiency completely escaped him all year long.
The same White who sat just below 40% from 3-point range in each of his first full three seasons in Boston was gone. In his absence, a version that shot just 32.7% from deep. And his 2-point efficiency was just as brutal. He went from shooting 55% from 2-point land (or better) to just 48.7% last season.
Defensively, White was elite. He earned All-Defensive First Team honors and was one of the best defensive anchors in the league. His rim presence -- especially at the guard position -- was otherworldly. But the Celtics need more on offense.
With Jaylen Brown gone, replaced by Paul George, and Jayson Tatum back for a full year, White has a chance at a bounce-back. A chance to regain the reputation he had carefully crafted for himself during his years with the Celtics. The question is, can he do it?
Before jumping into any statistics, the answer is yes. Can White get back to form? Absolutely. Any player can have a down year. In his three full seasons with the Celtics, White has shot 56.3% from 2-point range and 38.7% from deep in 231 total games. That's a much bulkier sample size than one, much different campaign last year.
So, I suppose the real question is will White bounce back? Will he return to the version of himself that spawned his cult hero status in the City of Boston? The version that shot over 40% from deep during Boston's title run in 2024. The version that has dominated with floaters for years. That's the version Boston needs back.
Let's start with the stats. Specifically, the 3-point stats, as White endured a massive drop-off from deep range last season. Spoiler alert: He missed a lot of open shots.
In the 2025-26 season, White shot 101-of-274 (36.9%) on wide-open 3-point attempts. Wide-open attempts, as defined by NBA.com, are shots taken with the closest defender at least six feet away. Meanwhile, in 2024-25, White shot 134-of-336 (39.9%) on those same attempts.
There are a couple of numbers to note here. First of all, obviously, White's efficiency was worse this past year. But perhaps more notable is the fact that he took 62 fewer wide-open threes. (And for those wondering, he played 76 games in 2024-25 and 77 in 2025-26.)
Throughout his time in Boston, White has had a better connection with Tatum than Brown. Tatum is also a better overall facilitator than Brown. He creates more gravity on the court, teams double-team him more, and his assist-to-turnover numbers are better.
In 2025-26, Brown averaged 9.3 potential assists per game and 3.6 turnovers. In 2025-26, Tatum averaged 11.6 potential assists per game and just 2.9 turnovers. Obviously, Tatum had the benefit of having Brown by his side, but even so, Tatum was doubled more with Brown next to him than Brown was on his own.
Even when Tatum returned from his Achilles injury, he was doubled instead of Brown. After a season of Brown acting as the top option and thriving from an efficiency standpoint, teams still chose to double Tatum. That's a pretty good gravitational indicator.
The point is, Tatum has a greater ability to draw in defenses and create open looks for teammates than Brown does. Even discounting his better passing skills, teams simply double Tatum more than Brown. That, in and of itself, creates more looks for his teammates.
(Before the comments come flooding in, I know that the time and situation matter when doubling. The Indiana Pacers likely doubled Tatum because it was late in overtime. But the videos are merely one example of a much larger trend.)
For White, Tatum being back in full should lead to more open threes. Consistent space to let it fly from beyond the 3-point arc. Tatum's return for a full season should help White get in a rhythm and stay there.
But that doesn't account for everything, because the rest of White's 3-point numbers took an even bigger efficiency dip. And that may have been his own confidence getting in the way.
White's number of assisted 3-pointers also plummeted. In 2024-25, he made 214 assisted threes and just 51 unassisted threes. Last year, he made just 150 assisted threes and 59 unassisted threes. That's a huge change. And the rest of his efficiency numbers tanked, too.
On open threes (defined as shots with the closest defender within 4-6 feet), White shot 95-of-301 (31.6%) last season. In 2024-25, he shot 105-of-291 (36.1%). He made fewer shots on more attempts last year. A significant dip in efficiency.
But the real kicker was White's 3-point efficiency on contested shots (with the closest defender 2-4 feet away). This past year, White shot 12-of-62 (19.4%), but in 2024-25, he shot 25-of-63 (39.7%). Virtually the same number of shots, but White made double in 2024-25 vs. 2025-26. Why?
Well, there's no one answer. Some of it could have been the passing. Tatum may be better equipped to pass to White in his sweet spot. Maybe it was luck. Maybe it was the fact that White likely had better defenders guarding him this past season than when Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford were all also in the lineup.
My theory? Confidence. From the very moment White got to Boston, confidence was a factor. For his entire first season in town, the Celtics worked on building up White's confidence. They wanted him to shoot, they encouraged him to shoot, and they forced him to shoot. Eventually, it worked.
White got used to what the Celtics wanted from him, and he knew he was in a comfortable position to do it. Joe Mazzulla worked to build him up. Tatum did. Brown did. The entire coaching staff did. But last year came with a very different set of circumstances.
Expectations shifted last season. The Celtics (internally) knew they would still be good, but everyone (especially externally) was looking to White to make a leap. So, when he got off to a rough start, it spiraled.
White got in his own head, and he couldn't escape. He went down a rabbit hole, suffering through rough shooting performance after rough shooting performance. Usually, he snaps himself out of those types of slumps. Last year, he couldn't. The nerves and shaken confidence followed him relentlessly.
Next year will provide a fresh start. A chance for White to reset his confidence and get back to the version of himself that was unafraid to let it fly. The version for which the results followed the philosophy.
But beyond the 3-point arc wasn't the only spot on the floor where White struggled to shoot. In fact, his biggest drop-off in efficiency was on a different part of the court entirely.
As previously noted, White's floater has been one of the most integral parts of his game, especially since getting to Boston. He's been automatic on driving floaters. Well, up until last year, that is.
In 2024-25, White shot 46-of-80 (57.5%) on what the NBA's website classifies as "driving floating jump shots." However, this past year, those numbers took a hit. White shot 50-of-129 (38.8%). He tried to expand the number of attempts, and the efficiency took a hit.
On those shots, the way defenses guard is a crucial piece of the puzzle. As noted, teams often commit a ton of pressure to Tatum. So, when he's on the court, White may have more open space to work. That could have affected his efficiency inside the arc, in particular.
It was a tiny sample size, but after Tatum's return, White shot 10-of-24 (41.7%) on driving floating jump shots. Before Tatum came back, White had shot just 40-of-105 (38.1%) on the same attempts. Not a crazy improvement, but it's certainly noteworthy.
The big men matter in this situation, too. Teams were more likely to stick to guys like Horford and Porzingis, as they were far more proven than Neemias Queta and Luka Garza. But after Queta's leap and with the addition of Mitchell Robinson, the paint could open up more.
Horford and Porzingis are also 3-point threats, so when they spaced the floor, it opened up the lane. Opponents could leave Queta at the 3-point line, or, if he sat in the dunker spot, they could help over more easily.
The same goes for Boston's floor-spacers. Guys like Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, and Jordan Walsh were far less proven shooters last year than Holiday, Horford, and Sam Hauser. That meant teams could send help more freely.
Look how willing Pascal Siakam is to leave Scheierman in the corner here. He completely shuts off White's drive. And Micah Potter doesn't have to worry about Queta until he's right under the rim.
Meanwhile, look at this drive from the season before. It's a broken play, but it ends in a well-spaced driving lane for White. Kelly Oubre Jr. doesn't want to leave Horford open in the corner, and Joel Embiid won't leave Tatum.
White still ended up having to make a contested shot through Caleb Martin, but the spacing was much better. Having Tatum back in the fold will help with that, and the internal improvement of Boston's depth will, too.
A lot will go into White's potential bounce-back. How will teams react to Scheierman, Gonzalez, and Walsh as legitimate 3-point threats? What about George? How big of a difference will Tatum vs. Brown running the offense actually make? Will teams respect Queta and Robinson enough around the rim? And perhaps most importantly of all, can he regain his confidence?
None of those questions will receive answers until the season begins. Can White do it? Absolutely. And he may be set up perfectly to do so. Will he? Well, that much can only be answered in October.