Excelerated Fantasy 🏈

Derrick White is an all-star. He’s averaging 80 touches per game. That’s 11th in the NBA, and more than names like James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, or Anthony Edwards. He’s Boston’s lead ball-handler, averaging 5.5 minutes per game with the ball in his hands. (Brown 5.0, Pritchard 4.8) Despite handling the ball a ton, he’s only averaging 1.9 turnovers. The Celtics have the #2 offense, in large part thanks to their #2 TOV%. In the previous 5 seasons, the lead ball-handlers for the top two offenses have been: 2025: Garland and Tatum 2024: Tatum and Haliburton 2023: Fox and Harden 2022: Mitchell and Young 2021: Harden and Lillard All-Star, All-NBA, MVP caliber players. In addition to being the primary ball-handler for the #2 offense, White’s been a critical floor spacer, and one of the best defensive guards in the NBA. He’s averaging career highs of 1.3 SPG and 1.4 BPG, while players have shot 8.1% worse than their expected FG% with him contesting within 6 ft. The overall impact of his 2-way play shows up in Boston’s lineups. If you exclude garbage time — White On: +8.7 White Off: -0.1 White On, Brown Off: +12.8 Brown On, White Off: -0.3 White On, Brown + Pritchard Off: +21.2 Brown + Pritchard On, White Off: -1.5 White is the engine that makes the Celtics run. They’re 29-18, with the 2nd best net rating in the league (+6.6) If he doesn’t make the team, it’d be a disservice to what drives wins on the basketball court.