Derrick White has been one of the Celtics’ most consistent players this season, and his strong play for much of the year even ignited All-Star buzz. But he is currently in the midst of a rough shooting slump.
Entering Saturday night’s matchup against the Hawks, White was just 5 for 36 from the 3-point line over his last five games. He then went 5 for 16 on 3-pointers in the 119-115 overtime loss Saturday.
Wednesday, White played just four minutes in the fourth quarter of Boston’s loss to the Raptors, with coach Joe Mazzulla turning to Payton Pritchard instead.
“I understand how frustrating it can be when the shot’s not falling and you’re not playing up to the standard that you expect of yourself because of how much you love the game and how much work you put into it,’’ Jayson Tatu
m said.
“D. White and I see each other every morning on game days. I know he’s putting the work in, and we all are. So it’s frustrating individually because of how hard we work. We want it to go a certain way and it just doesn’t always go that way. You’ve just got to trust that in due time it’s going to turn around.’’
White’s 2-for-7 performance from long range against the Magic on Friday probably felt like a hot streak.
Despite this downturn, he is still shooting a respectable 36.9 percent from the 3-point line this season, and Mazzulla is confident that this brief rut will not last.
“I think he’s just a guy that’s going to continue to play,’’ Mazzulla said. “He’s been great for us the entire year, so it’s really that he’s got to continue to play, continue to execute, continue to believe in himself.
“I believe in him and we love him. He’s going through a little slump but he works hard, so he’ll bounce back. So, nothing really there.’’
Healthy optimism
The Celtics believe that part of their uneven start has been due to a lack of continuity. They’ve rarely had their full roster available and are hopeful that this current stretch at full health will be a long one.
Big men Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford have not played on back-to-back nights this season, and there was a hint that perhaps the team would veer from this strategy when both played against the Magic on Friday with Saturday’s game against the Hawks looming.
Both players were listed as questionable up until an hour before tipoff before ultimately being ruled out, perhaps just an act of gamesmanship by the Celtics.
“You’re always doing what’s best for the team and doing what’s best for the guys, so just keeping those two things as the most important,’’ Mazzulla said.
“You have moments where you want that consistency, and I think it’s important for those guys. I thought over the last couple of games we had that, but at the same time the season presents challenges to where you have to get better without it. So whatever’s best for them, whatever’s best for the team, we’ll do.’’
Luke Kornet started at center. He had 17 points and 7 rebounds in 31 minutes.
Counting the stars
Tatum remains in second place among Eastern Conference frontcourt players in All-Star fan voting, with 2,842,956 votes, trailing only Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Jaylen Brown is fifth in the East with 933,090 votes. No other Celtics are in the top 10 at their positions. Fans will account for half of the vote, with players and a panel of media members accounting for 25 percent apiece. Reserves will be chosen by the conference’s coaches.
