Since then, he has been the first athlete inducted into Legend High School’s Hall of Fame, came within one game of facing his hometown Nuggets in the NBA Finals, and is currently enjoying the best season of his career as one of the most important pieces to a Boston team with the best record in the NBA, generating serious all-star buzz.
In his second full season with the Celtics, he’s right around his career high in points per game (15.3), dishing out five assists and snagging four rebounds per night, and shooting the best he’s ever shot from three.
“To me, what stands out is that he’s playing with so much more confidence,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Our first year in the playoffs, when he was in San Antonio, we won in seven games, and he had a couple of big games in that series.” You can just see his maturity and progression as a player, and he appears to be quite confident on the court.
“There are a lot more Nuggets fans than when I was in high school, which is exciting for the city,” White said following Boston’s shootaround Thursday afternoon. “People are like, ‘Go Derrick, but I want the Nuggets to win,’ so it’s a little different from that aspect.”
White claimed he had 15 or 16 relatives and friends in attendance for Thursday’s probable NBA Finals preview. He had the chance to spend time with his folks the night before.
He was born and raised in Colorado. That includes the Colorado Buffaloes.
“I’m always rooting for them,” White, who played at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs before moving to Boulder, said.
against the same time he was battling the Nuggets, the Buffs were in the midst of their most crucial game of the season, a pivotal road game against Oregon that is critical to Tad Boyle’s team’s NCAA Tournament chances.
