Our sister site HoopsHype has been laboring away the 2022 NBA offseason ranking the league along a number of axes for the coming 2022-23 season, with the relative trade values of individual players being one such assessment we are seeing Boston Celtics players making appearances in.
We have previously detailed how HoopsHype ranked veteran Celtics floor general the No. 16 point guard in the league for the season to come after downshifting to the 1 and putting on a Defensive Player of the Year performance stymying the offensive aspirations of Boston’s opponents. Now, the second edition of the HH series has arrived with a Celtics shooting guard cracking the top 20 players at the 2 next season.
That the former San Antonio Spur managed to impress enough with a rough season offensively in his inaugural campaign as a Celtic hints he might finish the season even higher than No. 19 if he can find his shot.
No. 19 shooting guard for 2022-23 – Derrick White
Ranked just ahead of rookie wing Benedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers and just behind Atlanta Hawks shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, White checks in at the penultimate slot of HoopsHype’s latest ranking.
“White’s contributions in Boston’s Finals run have already made him exceed the value of the first-round pick and pick swap they gave up for him. The Celtics might be more likely to offer him an extension down the line than trade him any time soon.”
While some have not seen his first season with the Celtics in such a positive light, we concur on the former Spurs’ instrumentality in Boston’s run to the Finals.
Having logged 11 points (his lowest scoring average since his second season in the league), 3.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game with Boston in their last campaign, White could likely see that total remain the same or even rise despite the Celtics adding Malcolm Brogdon to the backcourt this offseason.
That would occur with a more efficient and aggressive effort from the Colorado State product, who had the worst shooting season of his pro career.
If his 40.9% average overall and 30.6% 3-point percentages rise to something closer to his 44.2% and 34% career averages, this assessment could appear criminally low by the end of next season.
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