On the latest episode of Celtics Beat, Adam and Evan were joined by Celtics writer Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.
After trading away Marcus Smart as part of the deal to land Kristaps Porzingis, the Boston Celtics seemingly will start Derrick White as their new lead point guard. Gary, however, isn't the biggest fan of the idea based on his fit.
If you enjoyed this content, please make sure to watch the full episode HERE: https://youtu.be/DlTwnhWJVlQ | Celtics Beat Podcast
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After trading away Marcus Smart as part of the deal to land Kristaps Porzingis, the Boston Celtics seemingly will start Derrick White as their new lead point guard. Gary, however, isn't the biggest fan of the idea based on his fit.
If you enjoyed this content, please make sure to watch the full episode HERE: https://youtu.be/DlTwnhWJVlQ | Celtics Beat Podcast
This segment of Celtics Beat is brought to you by Fanduel Sportsbook, the exclusive wagering partner of the CLNS Media Network. NEW customers can bet $5 and get $200 in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED. Now is the best time to join FanDuel! The app is easy to use and you can be on everything from spreads to player props and more! So, visit FanDuel.com/BOSTON and kick off the NFL season with an offer you won’t wanna miss.
21+ and present in MA. Hope is here. First online real money wager only. $10 first deposit required. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable bonus bets that expire 7 days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. GamblingHelpLineMa.org or call (800)-327-5050 for 24/7 support. Play it smart from the start! GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234.
Ever wished you could navigate the betting field with the confidence of a pro? Enter Download the Odds-R App! They're not a sportsbook, but they're the sports betting advisor you've always needed. It's like having a playbook for smarter bets right in your pocket. I've been absolutely loving the experience, and I think you will too. Especially since Pats Interference listeners get a 30-day free trial! Elevate your game day and join the smart betting revolution! Go get it at https://oddsr.com/CELTICS
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SportsTranscript
00:00 So here are some numbers that will certainly support people.
00:03 Now, Smart and White on the court together last year,
00:07 the team had a plus 12 net rating.
00:10 Now, Smart, no White even, or, you know, negative 0.2.
00:15 White, no Smart, plus 10, plus 10 net rating.
00:19 With Derek White on the floor, Marcus Smart not on the floor,
00:22 neither plus two, so still efficient.
00:24 So, you know, this would tell you,
00:26 with Smart on the floor, no Derek White,
00:28 he has, you know, been a net negative, at least last year.
00:31 You are someone who, at least a year ago,
00:35 was still kinda not really a Derek White guy.
00:38 Now, obviously, he obviously had a very good year
00:41 this past year, so from where I stand right now,
00:44 is Derek White, obviously he is the new starting point guard
00:47 for this team, but are you comfortable with that?
00:49 - No, I'm not.
00:50 Like, and I'm not, nothing against Derek.
00:53 I just think, like, I mean, him playing point guard,
00:57 like, I think he's probably played flashes in San Antonio,
01:00 a point, but like, championship point guard,
01:06 I don't know, that's a big responsibility.
01:08 I think he was very good in his role last year,
01:11 coming off the bench, playing that kinda like, you know,
01:15 supporting cast role, but like, running the show,
01:18 telling guys where to be on the floor,
01:20 running the offense, getting the guys the ball,
01:23 like, I just needed to see it.
01:24 And I'm not saying he's not capable, don't get me wrong.
01:26 I'm not saying, oh man, this is gonna fail.
01:29 No, no, no.
01:30 I'm just concerned, I think I'm gonna need to see
01:34 Derek White log serious minutes at point
01:38 with that combination and how it works.
01:40 And do they need to get another point guard?
01:44 You know, is it gonna be Peyton Pritchard, Delano Banton,
01:49 whoever they're talking about, I don't know.
01:52 But I do think that this is someone,
01:56 it was eye opening when Mazzullo said that,
01:59 but they know more than me,
02:00 so I'm sure they're confident that Derek can do it.
02:02 So I'm not gonna like, doubt Derek.
02:04 I said, I didn't think he had a very,
02:06 he didn't have a good season coming in,
02:08 like the half season he spent.
02:09 I thought he disappeared at times.
02:11 He didn't play with confidence.
02:13 Last year, I thought he had a tremendous season,
02:15 all defense, just, you know,
02:18 was just completely comfortable with a full training camp
02:20 and his confidence was brimming.
02:23 I mean, I think he's one of those guys
02:25 that confidence is a big deal to him.
02:27 Some guys, their confidence never wavers.
02:29 They're gonna take shots.
02:30 They're gonna do, Derek's not one of those guys.
02:32 Derek needs to have confidence in order to flourish.
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03:07 - So you hope that he can deal with adversity,
03:12 deal with maybe a bad turnover and come back
03:15 and make a good pass
03:18 make a good play, make a good shot.
03:20 So I'm, you know, him being the floor leader in a sense,
03:23 I'm just, I'd like to see that before I'm like,
03:26 oh yeah, it's gonna work.
03:28 That's a, it's a little, I thought they would make,
03:32 you know, Malcolm has been point guard in previous years
03:35 in as much as he was a six man of the year.
03:40 A lot of people in the analytical folks
03:43 thought he was terrible in terms of certain situations
03:45 defensively, that he just shot too much or he was not,
03:50 he didn't make his teammates better.
03:53 So I thought maybe he would get the opportunity
03:55 since he had been pointed in and in Milwaukee previously.
04:00 So I just wanna see it.
04:02 I'm not as convinced, like that's not an instant
04:05 plug and play Derek White at point guard
04:10 as I think maybe other people are looking at it
04:13 'cause I just haven't seen it.
04:14 I don't know if you guys have seen him play point
04:17 extensively, if you wanna count the San Antonio days,
04:21 how much point did he play, you know, next to Tyus Jones.
04:26 Does Tyus, that's the one in San Antonio, right?
04:32 - Yeah. - Or, okay.
04:34 - There's, yeah, I think you're right.
04:36 - Yeah, 'cause there's the brother
04:38 who just got traded to Washington.
04:42 And so Tyus Jones or other guys, like, I don't,
04:45 that's a good question.
04:46 I don't know how much extensively he played.
04:49 - Tyus just went to Washington.
04:50 - Sorry, Tyus. - Yeah.
04:52 - Yeah.
04:53 - The younger brother, the one that's with the Spurs.
04:56 I don't know how much he played or that.
04:59 So I need to see, huh?
05:02 - Trey Jones.
05:03 - Trey Jones, exactly, Trey.
05:05 Yeah.
05:06 - Gotta be another letter than T, guys.
05:08 - Yeah, I gotta get my Jones brother together.
05:10 - I'm in Tyus.
05:11 - Tyus Jones. - I love Tyus.
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05:28 - Well, I mean, look, Gary, I think of the three of us,
05:35 Evan here is the one who is probably most comfortable
05:37 with the idea.
05:38 - Well, let's-- - He's been on it
05:39 for a while.
05:40 - Let's break down what Gary just said,
05:42 'cause I think there's a couple of good points in here.
05:43 First off, let's also admit that I would not be shocked
05:48 if they flipped Malcolm and Derek at some point
05:51 in the season if Malcolm's running better with that group.
05:55 I have a little more confidence in Derek White
05:56 just because I think last year was sort of a revelation.
06:01 We'll see if we can do it again.
06:03 But he comes from a good system with the Spurs.
06:07 I just think that he's one of these connector guys
06:10 that seems to just try and make things work,
06:14 not trying to get in the way too much.
06:16 You wanna let Jason and Jalen kind of dictate
06:18 most of what happens, but he's always one
06:20 to kind of make that extra pass.
06:22 I like him a lot, I love him defensively.
06:24 That jump shot, we'll see if it sticks.
06:26 I think him and coach, was it Ben Morrison
06:31 that spent a lot of time with him
06:32 and working on that jump shot?
06:34 But I will say one thing that I think
06:37 Gary brought up is confidence.
06:39 One of the things that you don't want your point guard
06:43 to lack is confidence 'cause the game ebbs and flows.
06:46 There are highs, there are lows, everybody goes on runs.
06:49 So in that regard, the confidence issue would be one
06:54 that I think would give me a little bit of pause.
06:56 But my question to Gary is more about maybe the lack
07:00 of championship point guards in the NBA today.
07:03 How many true championship level floor generals
07:07 are out there?
07:08 You could argue two of them are on the same team
07:09 in Golden State with Chris Paul and with Steph Curry.
07:13 I just don't think there are a lot of guys out there
07:18 that when, I mean, Jimmy Butler is one of these guys
07:20 that can dictate a game when it gets tough.
07:23 LeBron, obviously, that goes without saying.
07:26 I just don't think there are that many level guys
07:29 in the NBA anymore.
07:30 I think it's kind of a, everybody's a combo guard now,
07:33 right, everybody, no, true point guard kinda die.
07:37 And true point guards are more like point forwards now,
07:40 like you're seeing more of a Luka or more of a LeBron
07:43 and a James Harden and stuff, guys like that.
07:47 It's not really just about one guy controlling the flow
07:50 of the game anymore.
07:51 So my question to you is as we look back at this team
07:53 and try and figure out, do they have a championship level
07:57 table setter on this team?
07:59 I just don't think there are many out there,
08:02 A, and B, if it's one of them,
08:03 I almost think it's Tatum rather than Derek White.
08:06 - Yeah, I'm just afraid of putting more responsibility
08:10 on Tatum and saying, okay, Jason, be all NBA first team
08:15 and also run the damn offense too.
08:17 And just run and walk the ball up the floor
08:20 and also defend well.
08:21 And like, that's a lot.
08:23 Like I just rather see less on Jason's plate
08:27 in terms of ball handling than more,
08:29 although I think he can be a good point guard
08:31 or kind of floor leader, maybe not point forward.
08:34 So I'm not as highly enthusiastic about like,
08:41 okay, we'll just make Jason the point forward.
08:43 Now that might work, you know,
08:45 but you just want him to be preserved throughout the season
08:48 and not having the responsibility of running the offense.
08:51 I mean, the thing that I look at with Derek is
08:56 there's a couple of things that stand out previously
08:59 in San Antonio.
09:00 He played, according to basketball records,
09:02 he played point guard his first,
09:04 like his first year he played 17 games.
09:06 So you throw that out.
09:08 The second year he played point guard,
09:11 he played 67 games, he started 55, 3.9 assists per game,
09:15 1.4 turnovers.
09:18 Now the 50, he played 49 games
09:21 before he was traded to Boston
09:23 and he averaged six, 5.6 assists to 1.8 turnovers.
09:28 So that's a very good, you know, if I do my math,
09:32 but that's more than a three to one
09:34 assist to turnover ratio.
09:36 So he averaged nearly six assists
09:38 and was kind of classified as a shooting guard
09:41 in his stint in San Antonio before he got to Boston
09:45 in '21, '22.
09:47 So for those looking for encouragement,
09:50 that's a, to me, that's an encouraging sign
09:52 that he can, he almost had six assists a game
09:55 in that stretch.
09:56 In the year before he played,
10:01 you see here, 3.5.
10:04 So that one, I think he was hurt most of 2021,
10:08 but '21, '22, in that stretch with San Antonio,
10:14 he averaged nearly six assists a game.
10:16 So to me, that is a very encouraging sign
10:21 in terms of him being able to distribute the ball.
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