Derrick White picks up slack for struggling stars in Celtics’ Game 1 win

The Boston Celtics handled the Orlando Magic in Game 1 of their opening playoff series on Sunday afternoon. Impressively, they were able to take care of business against the Magic without getting a major contribution from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. On Sunday the star of the show was Derrick White, who led the Celtics with 30 points in the victory.

White has had standout performances in the playoffs before, but Sunday was just the third time in his career he scored at least 30 in a playoff game, his second time as a Celtic. The 30-year-old went 7-of-12 from beyond the arc, along with four rebounds and two assists. He also had his defensive game cooking, with a steal and two blocked shots.

"Derrick's ability to just impact the game both offensively and defensively is huge," said head coach Joe Mazzulla. "We need everyone to be aggressive, and he does a great job at finding the shots that are important to us."

White showed again on Sunday that although he may be considered a relative “role player” compared to the Celtics’ stars, he has the talent to take over a game when he's needed.

"Just trying to be available when I can, and [if] I get a good look I'd just let it fly," White said about Sunday's dominating performance.

The Celtics may not need White to play that well every game during their 2025 playoff run. But to have him in their back pocket to lift the team up when Tatum and/or Brown are drawing a lot of attention, is a massive asset. It's very likely that Tatum and Brown will start turning it on as well, so it's just extra reassurance to have White as an excellent third option.

Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying communications and media studies. Read all his articles here, and follow him on X @LukeGraham05.