Jayson Tatum scored 35 points in his first two games back from a ruptured Achilles tendon. Jaylen Brown kept adding to his MVP-caliber play. And the Boston Celtics continued to impress by winning both contests by double digits. In a year when the Tatum-less Celtics were thought to be in a rebuild mode, the squad has already positioned itself as a championship contender. Tatum’s return only makes them look sharper. Not only that, according to one prominent NBA analyst, this is also going to unleash one particular player.
Boston Globe columnist Gary Washburn made a case for the Celtics guard Derrick White on the latest episode of the “Big 3 NBA Podcast” on CLNS Media. Washburn projected White as the Celtics player who stands to gain the most from Tatum’s return to the lineup.
The analyst reasoned that opposing defenses will now have to account for both Tatum and Brown on the floor simultaneously. That extra attention is going to create the kind of open looks and driving lanes White has thrived in all season.
“That’s the dude who’s going to eat here. That’s the guy that we all need to look out for … Derrick is gonna eat with Tatum and Brown both on the floor because now you’ve gotta compensate for guarding Tatum,” Washburn said.
He also predicted that Brown would probably now take fewer shots, but most of those would go to White instead of Tatum. “Derrick becomes more of a part of the offense. So those guys are gonna see Derrick wide opening,” Washburn further added.
.@GwashburnGlobe on why Jayson Tatum is going to unlock Derrick White🔓
"That's the dude who's going to eat here. That's the guy that we all need to look out for … Derrick is gonna eat with Tatum and Brown both on the floor because now you've gotta compensate for guarding… pic.twitter.com/iXctmsCiVK— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) March 10, 2026
Derrick White’s Already Impressive Season Might Just Got a Boost With Jayson Tatum’s Return
In the absence of Tatum, White has already taken a massive leap this season. He is averaging 17.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game, all career highs. He has hit five or more threes in multiple games and set a career high with seven blocks in one contest. White has been Boston’s defensive anchor, its secondary playmaker, and its most reliable two-way contributor all wrapped into one.
In Boston’s 120-100 demolition of the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, the night Tatum made his season debut, White posted 20 points on 8-for-16 shooting. He attacked the rim with an aggression that’s become his trademark this season, throwing down two dunks off hard cuts and pick-and-roll action. Even with Tatum drawing attention in his first game in 298 days, White carved out his own place.
In the Celtics’ game on Sunday, fans got a snapshot of what Washburn was actually saying. Tatum fed White a bounce pass for a wide-open dunk in the first quarter. Those are the looks that didn’t exist when opponents could scheme more aggressively against Brown and White as a two-man attack.
Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Even very early statistics also support the possibility. Citing NBA tracking data, Sports Illustrated’ John Karalis wrote, “White is getting open shots (with the closest defender 4-6 feet away) 39.9% of the time, and wide open shots (closest defender 6+ feet away) 27.4% of the time. But in the past two games, the wide open shots have jumped to 32% while the open shots have dipped slightly to 36%.”
An all-out praise for what White has done all season came from Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson, who went as far as calling the 31-year-old a top-five player in the league after Boston’s 109-98 win in Cleveland on Sunday.
Boston sits at 43-21, second in the Eastern Conference behind the Detroit Pistons with 18 games remaining. They have two tough away games this week against the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder. White could not have gotten Tatum back at a better time.
As Payton Pritchard said after beating the Cavs, “I’m just glad we have a first-team All-NBA player back, a guy that could do it all. It’s hard to guard us when you have to, you have to worry about him [Tatum], [Jaylen Brown], [Derrick] White, then Sam [Hauser], Baylor [Scheierman], like so many guys. So, it makes us a really good team.” Boston plays its next game against the Spurs on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
Related: Derrick White Shares Update on Jayson Tatum’s Recovery