Derrick White is one of the biggest X-factors heading into Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night in Boston.
The Celtics guard has emerged as the perfect complement in the backcourt of stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown since being acquired from the Spurs at the 2022 NBA trade deadline, and that has been proven during this playoff run.
White is averaging 17.8 points per game, shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from three-point range, all slightly above his regular season averages.
After facing smaller defenders like Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembard and TJ McConnell in the Indiana series, White will again be tasked with attacking weaknesses in Dallas’ lineup.
Tall guys like P.J. Washington and Derrick Jones Jr. will take on Tatum and Brown, the big man duo of Daniel Gafford and Derek Lively will take on Kristaps Porzingis, while White and Jrue Holiday will have their way against Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in the two most important matchups.
In the conference finals, the Mavericks got by easily by using less-talented offensive players like Jaden McDaniels, Mike Conley, Rudy Gobert, Kyle Anderson and Naz Reid as backups for Doncic and Irving.
It won’t be that easy in the finals.
White will likely use at least one of those two for the majority of the game, and his combination of off-the-dribble shooting and 3-point shooting should be a big hit against Dallas’ defense’s weaknesses.
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While Porzingis’ return is sure to take some away from the team, oddsmakers still underprice White, who has averaged nearly 18 points this playoffs, projecting him to score a total of 14.5 points in Game 1 (+100, FanDuel Sportsbook).
Play: Derrick White over 14.5 points (+100, FanDuel Sportsbook)
