Derrick White reveals what happened when Joe Mazzulla came to visit him this offseason, ‘it’s probably more pressure…’
Derrick White was already an important player for the Boston Celtics, but his role will be even greater this season.
Jayson Tatum will, unfortunately, miss the entire year with an Achilles injury, while Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday were recently traded away.
Jaylen Brown is expected to be the Celtics’ leading scorer, but White will also need to elevate his offensive game.
Ahead of the new season, head coach Joe Mazzulla visited the guard to see how his preparations are going.
Derrick White says what happened when Joe Mazzulla visited him
White revealed that Mazzulla visited him in Colorado recently and even helped out in a workout with his personal trainers.
“Yeah, I had the one and only Joe Mazzulla out here,” he said. “He was out in Phoenix for something and then stopped by in Colorado to spend some time with me, watch the workouts, spend some time with the kids, and play some card games. It’s always good to see my guy.
White did not feel under more pressure with Mazzulla watching on because his job is not at any risk, but perhaps his trainers did.
“It’s probably more pressure for [my trainers]. ‘Is he getting him ready?’ But Marcus and Mike do a good job all summer long,” he continued.
“There’s not too much pressure on me. It’s not like he can cut me or anything. That would be a little pressure, if I needed to get a job or something.
“It was good for him to come out here and check in on how we’re doing. I appreciated that. He rebounded. He hung around and said some things here and there. We had a good time.”
Expectations for Derrick White in 2025/26 season with Boston Celtics
White averaged 16.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 33.9 minutes per game in the 2024/25 regular season.
Mazzulla will not want to run him into the ground, but it seems likely that he will play a few extra minutes in the upcoming season.
Plus, White will almost definitely be the second scoring option behind Brown, with new addition Anfernee Simons as the third.
This could see the former San Antonio Spurs player average 20 points per game for the first time in his NBA career and potentially make an All-Star appearance.
