Derrick White Explains How He Rebuilt Confidence Amid Shooting Issues

The Celtics guard shares how he was able to get through a recent rough patch.

Dec 31, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) controls the ball while Toronto Raptors guard Ja'Kobe Walter (14) defends during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics haven't been quite as dominant of a team in recent weeks. They are just 3-4 in their last seven games. In that mixed bag of games, the Celtics have had a couple of blowouts. They beat the Pacers 142-105 and, on Tuesday, destroyed the Raptors by 54 points.

When the Celtics play connected basketball, as they did in each of those two games, they are an extremely hard basketball team to beat. They just have too many weapons that can make shots. The issues start to happen when players go through shooting slumps.

That's what has happened with starting guard Derrick White. Against the Raptors, he went 3/3 from deep and shot 75% from the field. In the previous two games against the Indiana Pacers, he shot just 27% and 37% from three. He was not shooting the ball well, but he was able to fix that.

After the game against Toronto, White shared how he was able to rebound with a good performance and keep his confidence up despite those back-to-back shaky performances from beyond the arc.

"It's definitely something that I've learned over time, having a lot of confidence in that next shot... it takes one to get hot."

Derrick White on keeping his confidence through shooting struggles.

"It's definitely something that I've learned over time, having a lot of confidence in that next shot... it takes one to get hot."

"Last game, I had like three in-and-outs."

White was 3/3 from three tonight.

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) December 31, 2024

As easy as it sounds, shooters shoot. That's exactly what White did. He knows that he's a good shooter and that they will eventually start to fall if he just keeps firing away with them. Against the Raptors, that's what his mindset was, and it worked out for him.

The Celtics need more good shooting performances from him if they are going to stay in the hunt for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. They have fallen five games back of the Cavaliers for that top spot. Even worse, the Knicks are just a game behind Boston for second play in the East.

If Boston can fix their defensive issues and keep their confidence while shooting, they should be able to right the ship. The schedule doesn't get any easier for them anytime soon, though. Their next four games are against Minnesota, Houston, Oklahoma City, and Denver. All of those games are on the road.

White is one of Boston's most important players. He needs to keep shooting it every time he's open because that's what this offense demands. The more threes the team gets up, the better.

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