Derrick White named Eastern Conference Player of the Week
BOSTON -- While Mondays are usually the bane of everyone's existence, they have been a day of good news for the Boston Celtics throughout the season. This particular Monday is no different, with Celtics guard Derrick White being named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
White helped the Celtics to a 4-0 record last week, averaging 20.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 8.8 assists in a pair of wins over Detroit and victories over Milwaukee and Chicago. The guard shot 42 percent from the floor on his 16 attempts per game, while knocking down 34 percent from downtown.
White started his week by logging the first triple-double of his career, scoring 22 points while pulling down 10 rebounds and dishing off 10 assists in a 25-point win over the Pistons in Boston. He admitted to some stat-hunting to get that triple-double after the win, and being Derrick White, he said that approach made him extremely uncomfortable.
He was back to his usual ways two nights later, as White scored 23 points and handed out eight assists in a 122-119 Boston win in Milwaukee. He scored 19 points and tallied 11 assists in a 27-point Celtics win in Detroit on Friday, and closed his week with a 17-point night in a 124-113 victory in Chicago.
White also rejected four shots over the last four games, bringing his block total for the season to 84.
This marks just the second time of White's seven-year career that he's earned Player of the Week honors. He also got the nod last February when he averaged 24.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.5 assists over a four-game stretch (all Boston victories) for the Celtics.
White is having the best season of his career for the Celtics, matching his career high of 15.4 points per game while setting new marks in rebounds (4.3), assists (5.2), and blocks (1.3) over 66 games. He just missed out on earning his first All-Star nod a few months ago, but he should get a lot of All-Defensive Team love by season's end.