Originally compiled from: The Ringer
Written by Mirin Fader
原标题：The Trade That Completed Derrick White—and Maybe the Celtics
In the Eastern Conference finals G6 game, the Celtics had a killing opportunity in the last 3 seconds, but Smart brushed the basket with three points, and White, who was originally responsible for sending the sideline ball, entered the inside line, grabbed the rebound, and hit the last 0.1 seconds to force the series into a tie-break.
White, saved the Celtics, he may be the one who wants to make history!
Leaving the Spurs, White became the Celtics' title puzzle
It's been a tortuous road, but Boston has finally found the biggest X-factor that will help them reach the Finals. The Celtics got the perfect team glue in a mid-season deal.
Derek White had not foreseen this before. Just hours before the NBA trade deadline, a notoriously nerve-wracking day, a friend asked White if he thought he would be traded, but White dismissed the idea. At that time, he was just beginning to find his best form, and as the starting shooting guard for the San Antonio Spurs, his career average reached a new high.
He was sitting in his hotel room and had just embarked on a long trip with his teammates. Spurs coach Popovich called White to meet him. White shuddered in his heart. He didn't feel very good. He knew something was wrong.
"Bobo is coming to my room," he called to tell his wife, Hannah. "I don't know what that means."
His instincts quickly proved correct: Popovich told the five-year Spurs player that he had been traded to the Boston Celtics. "I was shocked," White said. Within seconds, his life was suddenly turned upside down.
Where am I going to live? He thought. There are more serious concerns – Hannah is about 30 weeks pregnant. They have to find a new doctor. Then, a small skeptical thought, one that he had tried to suppress throughout his career, surfaced:
Why don't they want me?
He loved his time in San Antonio. He loves Popovich. "It's a world full of emotions," White said. But he didn't have time to think about it. He has work to do and a plane to catch. That night, as he flew to Boston, he stared out the plane window and told himself he had to make the most of the opportunity.
It's very difficult to join a new team halfway through the season, let alone a team that has the desire to win the title. At each trade deadline, teams try to find a missing piece or one more rotation player, but that's often more complicated than the permutation of parts on the machine. Predicting how a person will fit into a team, how to fit into a chemistry that is still developing, and strike a delicate balance between adding and destroying it, can be tricky. White had to learn a new system, adapt to new teammates and coaches, and find a way to adapt.
White is the quintessential Spurs player
He and Hannah would spend five to six weeks with their suitcases in a small apartment near TD Gardens, waiting for their new home to settle. Determined to find his way with the Celtics, White remembered the words shared with him by a former teammate during his rookie season in 2017-18, when the two were still playing for Spurs' Development League team:
"Wherever life takes you," his teammate says, "ride the waves." ”
White has been doing this all his life. After graduating from high school, he didn't even get a scholarship. Sometimes he is not the best, second-best, or even third-best player in some reserves. He was so skinny, so small, so green, some of his teammates called him "Gerber Baby." He played for three years at UCCS, the second branch of the University of Colorado, trying to prove his worth, and in the process, he accidentally grew about four inches taller. He transferred to the University of Colorado before his senior year, became a star, and was unexpectedly selected in the NBA first round. The Spurs drafted him, and he grew further, transforming from a two-way role player into a reliable starter with potential.
He shined with his extraordinary wisdom and agility. He often defends the best players against opponents. All said White looked like another typical rookie player the Spurs produced. His excellent intuition helps him anticipate well, make split-second decisions and win games, such as passing unexpected balls, scrambling for offensive rebounds, or interfering with the line of the ball while defending. "When it comes to basketball IQ, some people just have limits." Popovich said, "But he's not among them." ”
White's performance impressed more teams than just the Spurs. Brad Stevens, who had just transitioned from coach to management with the Celtics, was interested. The Boston former head coach and new president of basketball operations has been following White since entering the U.S. team selection camp in 2019, when he was named to the national team's FIBA World Cup roster. Ahead of the 2022 trade deadline, the Celtics are seventh in the East and they are looking to strengthen their squad. Stevens has been looking for players to help Boston's twins, Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
"We rarely judge a player with the most versatile defender, the smartest passer and the most selfless player?" Stevens said. "But in basketball, Derek gets very, very, very high marks for all of that. We've seen this up close. ”
Stevens knew that White could play the winning goal with or without the ball. He can run the ball like an alpha dog and make solid cover. He can open up space for everyone. "Imagine a best teammate, someone who is willing to do anything to win, someone who doesn't care if his name doesn't get on the paper, someone who doesn't care about his own shot." Stevens said, "He always did the right thing. ”
Celtics' head coach Uduka last year and assistant coach Will Hardy, who coached White under Popovich's San Antonio, knew what he was capable of. The Celtics believe White can adapt to the team. His gentle demeanor, his ability to get along with anyone, and his humility make him an ideal teammate. He is a model of the team culture that Uduka tries to instill.
After a disastrous 16-19 start, the team desperately needed fresh blood, and at one point sat 11th in the East. Until mid-January, their win rate was below 50%.
"Derek is a man who goes forward without excuses." "That's what our team did this year," Hardy said. We didn't make excuses. We didn't blame anyone. We have no complaints, these negative comments about us are unfair. ”
"That's exactly the path Derek walked," Hardy said. "He's been working. His personality is very similar to that of our team. ”
White's addition helped the Celtics advance to the Eastern Conference finals last season
Mid-season deals didn't always work out, but this one was an immediate success. The Celtics turned their season around and unexpectedly reached the season's finals. Since White's arrival, the Celtics have a staggering 33-13 (0.717) record. What's more, he sacrificed his starting spot, starting off the bench and wholeheartedly embracing the change.
While he didn't shoot well early in the playoffs, White was starting to find his rhythm again. He excelled in the first game of the Celtics' Finals, scoring 21 points, hitting five three-pointers and playing solid defensively. In the 17 rounds he defended Stephen Curry, he only allowed Curry to score five points.
White has always been a darling of high-order data. Over the past three seasons, he has ranked 12th among all NBA players in defensive plus-minus and 4th among guards. He showed that values can be unconventional. He doesn't need to be dazzled on the game or in the stats. Value can be found elsewhere, such as in the conversion defense against the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. In one round of Game 5, White rushed in front of everyone and intercepted a pass under the basket. He flew almost out of bounds, but still had balance and intelligence, and in mid-air, he knew he couldn't throw the ball back under the basket of the team inside the boundary, so he threw the ball into the crowd – even if it meant he would receive a turnover.
He doesn't care about personal data. If he scores zero and the team wins, he will be happy. In the crucial sixth loss to the Heat, he posted his best 22 points, five assists, one block and three steals. "You did a great job," Hannah said to him afterwards.
"But we really need this win." He said.
"It doesn't matter if I'm a starter or a substitute," White said. "My attitude, my efforts – it has to stay the same. Since then, it's been basketball. ”
White doesn't quite believe that things are predestined, or that everything in the universe has a certain order, but he feels that joining the Celts is destiny. His father, Richard, is from Boston and has loved the team since childhood. Richard's father would arrange for him to get a haircut after the Celtics' road trip, hoping to meet his favorite player at the barbershop. Richard said, "It's kind of like going around in circles."
Part of what made it easier for Derek to transition was that he met Tatum, Brown and Marcus Smart while playing with Team USA in 2019. Feeling welcome with his new teammates, he attended a series of birthday parties in March and early April and bonded with them off the court.
White was loved by his teammates
White got to know his teammates on a personal level and saw how they interacted with friends and family. This is important to him because he started in the wonderful culture of San Antonio, where he has built long-term relationships with almost everyone. "It has strengthened the relationship," White said. He began to realize that his work ethic matched the team's work ethic, as Boston had recovered from an ugly loss before White's arrival.
That's the motto of this Boston team: "We always say 'we've been through a lot,'" White said. "When you go through these things together, you have that connection and intimacy, and you keep going. Whether we succeed or fail, we always believe in each other. ”
White is doing his best to adapt, but the Celtics just want him to trust his instincts. Do what he does best. His teammates encouraged him. Sometimes, Tatum would blame White for passing the ball. Because it's so selfless. "Stop looking for me," Tatum told him. "Go score."
Tatum, Brown, Smart and Al Horford often said to him, "Go ahead."
"These guys will cheer him on." Hardy said.
They reminded White that what he did mattered. So is Stevens. "The decision [to trade] wasn't just for short-term results." "In fact, short-term goals are one of the last things we think about, but instead try to do something that will help us in the long run," Stevens said. ”
White had been looking for something like this all his life; A team that believes in him and invests in him for the long term. Sometimes, he struggles on a winding road and lacks self-confidence. If he makes a mistake, it's often because he's not confident and unsure of his role. He is too passive and too easily influenced by others.
You need to believe that you belong here, Popovich has told him many times over the past five years. White finally began to understand. Before each game, he tells himself that when White joined the Celtics, Uduka shared something with him as he discussed his role:
"Be yourself." Uduka said.
Be yourself. Those simple four words are a nobody, a player who didn't receive a scholarship, a player who played D-II for three years before being drafted, and what needs to be heard. He knew he didn't need to be a star. He doesn't have to be someone else.
White is a strict detail controller who demands on himself
He began to believe that he was capable enough – and he did. And perhaps, there may be more.
After returning home from training or games, White didn't stop. He watches two or three games a night. He was obsessed with scouting reports. Hannah asks to watch Netflix, but he insists, "Can we finish this show?"
"He just kept eager." Hannah said.
When looking at his opponent, he should pay attention not only to the factors that help the opponent succeed, but also to the things that players don't like to do. White said, "I just try to think more than they do."
White is a detail-geek and can memorize something just once. He was so focused, so quiet, that Marcus Mason, his longtime trainer and former coach at the University of Denver, often joked that White should go play cards. "Sometimes you stay with Derek, but you never know what he's thinking," Mason said. "He's probably working on every thread."
Even on the couch, watching these games late at night, White would grab a basketball, shoot it in the air, and regain his form as if he were back a kid. It was as if he was still the same kid in Colorado Springs who shot countless threes in midnight training to try to prove he could play Division One.
Many of these nights Hannah was there, helping White pick up rebounds in an empty gym. Last Thursday, they celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind for them. Hannah was supposed to give birth to their first child, Hendricks, on May 22, between Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, while they were in Boston.
Before White left for Miami to play G1, he stroked Hannah's belly and said to Hendricks, "Stay here, baby." "I'll be back in a few days." ”
But Hendrix couldn't wait. Hannah was admitted to the hospital on the 19th. White missed the G2 and rushed to make his first flight out of Miami. On the plane, he kept staring at the flight time record on the screen in front of him, trying to pray that the plane would fly faster. He missed Hendrix's birth an hour earlier, but that didn't stop him from picking up his son as soon as he arrived at the hospital room.
White had always been afraid to pick up a baby, but this anxiety immediately dissipated the moment he picked up his baby. When he held his son in his arms, instinct took over him - he laughed non-stop.
When Derek performed on the biggest stage of his life, he still managed to sing to Hendrix before bedtime. Recently, Hannah asked him how he could handle it all.
"Honestly," Derek said, "I know you're home." As long as you're with him, I have nothing to worry about. I'll bring you a ring home. ”
White's upbringing was challenging
White grew up in Parker, a suburb of Denver, Colorado, and never dreamed of playing in the NBA. He just loves to play basketball and all day, except for the occasional trip to Wendy's restaurant. "He always had a ball in his hand," his mother, Colleen, said.
When he plays at the back of the youth soccer team, he tells Richard that being smaller is good for other kids: "I can get through the cracks, and they can't!" They can't stop me!"
But his size is his biggest handicap. Derek is a skilled player, but his body is not yet developed. He didn't become a scorer on the high school basketball team until his third year. Kevin Boley, the coach of Legends High School, would tell the college that White was talented and just needed time to grow. "He's done some amazing things on the pitch," Boley said. But they kept telling him that White was too skinny. It's not tall enough.
"It's an indictment of a system that coaches think they have to win now." "They can't risk a child, they need to be given time and opportunity to grow," Boley said. ”
White was only 6 feet tall when he first entered high school. But he plays smart, scoring and even dunking on opponents. But he's going to D-II anyway. His growth at UCCS has only just begun. "He's still adjusting to his new body," Richard said.
The original plan was for Derek to wear a red shirt during his freshman year, but he didn't stay on the scouting team for long. "(White) killed everyone," said his former teammate and close friend Alex Wales. The team had such a bad performance in the game that coach Jeff Culver took off White's substitute red shirt and put him in the starting lineup. He then dominated the entire league, setting league single-season scoring records. "He became special," Culver said.
After moving to Colorado, he had to take a year off from school. He forced himself to be better and stronger. He had his own way of defending, revealing a bit of the rudiments of the blockade defender he later became.
He struggled at first. "Everything here is completely different from what I'm familiar with before." "I was like, 'I don't know if I can do it. "He was often scolded for not getting stuck when grabbing a rebound, forcing the team to run." He's just a little bit unconfident," Colorado coach Ted Boyle said.
As White continued to trust in the work he did, his confidence began to grow. The following year, he averaged 18.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, was named to the First Team and was named to the All-League's Defensive Team. "Everyone wants to speed up the process." "The reality is, you have to go your way into the NBA," Boyle said. Derek White made it to the NBA on his own terms. ”
His first year in the NBA, spending most of his time in the development league, was tough. Sometimes he feels like he might not be good enough. Or the opportunity may fail. Maybe he can only be a development league player.
"He was always a little worried about what's going to happen in the future," Wales said.
He refused to give up and continued to get better, helping the Austin Spurs win the Development League championship and become the team's leading scorer. This experience has bought him time to catch up with the players who have already given up their lives. And, when he played for Popovich, he realized he had to compete harder and be more aggressive.
You have to believe that you belong here.
He became a big part of Boston
Popovich's words swirled in White's mind. With so many roles in his life, it's not easy to feel at ease. "In 18 months, he went from being a second-division player to an NBA first-round pick, which is not something you see very often." Hardy said, "The most important thing for Popovich ... Give him the confidence that he really belongs here because all the coaches and players have seen everything that happens when Derek plays. ”
He was playing more and more comfortably. Believe in yourself more. And, since joining Celtic, that confidence will only continue to erupt. Maybe he's become the missing part of Boston's needs, but White hasn't been labeled. There is a championship to win. He lives a life like a turn-based. Tell yourself to keep your feet on the ground. Do as the coach asks.
He now knows that self-confidence cannot be pretended to be and cannot be bought. It has to come from within. From the deepest part of his heart, he still insists on believing in himself when few people believe in himself.
Be yourself.
And now, White has become a hero of Boston, and if he can win a tiebreaker at home, he will be the one who will make history!