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Derrick White had a chance to extend his streak of eight games with at least one block against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. White had Victor Wembanyama on his sights in a fastbreak but changed his mind after the Spurs rookie showed off his length and otherworldly stride.
With around eight minutes left in the third quarter, Jayson Tatum missed a 3-point shot. Wembanyama recovered the loose ball near the halfcourt line and went up for the dunk. White tried to sneak in at the last second, but the French star was just too long and lanky to block.
White was asked about passing on blocking Wemby's shot. He explained why it was the right decision while also discussing his thought process during the play.
"I'm not an idiot," White said. "I was hoping he'd take another dribble and then I could try to (block) that. But he just picked it up, and I never saw it again. I was just trying to get out of the way. I assumed he was gonna take another dribble, but yeah, that was crazy."
Derrick White finished with 17 points, two rebounds and five assists as the Boston Celtics made quick work of his former team 134-101. Jayson Tatum had a game-high 25 points with six rebounds and two assists, while Jaylen Brown added 24 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Meanwhile, Victor Wembanyama led the way for the San Antonio Spurs with 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists. The Celtics improved to 26-6 for the season, while the Spurs fell to 5-27.
Also Read: "Fire Darvin Ham" - LA Lakers fans demand coaching change as team drops to .500 after blowout loss
Is Derrick White an All-Star?
Many thought that Jrue Holiday or Kristaps Porzingis would be the third-best player for the Boston Celtics this season. However, Derrick White has stepped up to be the team's third-option on offense, behind the All-Star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
White is averaging 17.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks per game this season. These are not popping numbers to become an All-Star, but he has been an invaluable part of the Celtics starting lineup.
ESPN analyst JJ Redick perfectly explained why White should be an All-Star this season, on a recent episode of his "Old Man and the Three" podcast.
"When he's on the floor, Boston has outscored opponents by 265 points so far this season," Redick said. "That is third in the NBA. He's only trailing Tyrese Maxey and Nikola Jokic.
"He's 13th in the NBA in win shares, ninth per 48 minutes. If you took the eight catch-alls on all these advanced individual metrics, he's 21st overall. Ninth-best player in the East, fifth-best guard in the East."
Guess the Lakers players!
