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Former NBA Head Coach Shares Encouraging Insight on Derrick White's All-Star Case

Originally posted on FanNation Inside The Celtics
By Bobby Krivitsky | Last updated 1/12/24

Regardless of whether he's selected, Derrick White is playing All-Star caliber basketball.

His 15.8 points, four rebounds, 1.2 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game all represent career highs. And his 5.1 assists per contest are the second most the six-year veteran has averaged.

He's also drilling 40.5 percent of the 6.3 shots he's hoisting from beyond the arc, a personal best if you exclude when he took fewer than one per game in 17 appearances with the San Antonio Spurs as a rookie.

The former Colorado Buffalo is one of four players in the 93rd percentile or better on both sides of the ball in estimated plus-minus, per dunksandthrees.com. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the other three.

It's a prime example of how the metrics make an airtight case for him earning an All-Star selection.

But to what should be the surprise of nobody, White isn't going to gain enough votes to start for the East on Feb. 18 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He's currently seventh among Eastern Conference guards in fan voting, with 399,120.

LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo lead their respective conferences in the second fan returns of #NBAAllStar Voting presented by AT&T.

Fans account for 50% of the vote to decide All-Star starters. NBA players and a media panel account for 25% each.

Next fan update: 1/18. pic.twitter.com/0K23OtQRmY
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 11, 2024

Then, there's the question of whether the coaches would give White what would be a well-deserved nod or if he'd have to hope to be a fill-in.

The former would require picking the Parker, Colorado native over a more popular player. For example, limiting the Miami Heat, currently seventh in the East, to Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo, not both.

In a recent appearance on the Bill Simmons Podcast on The Ringer, former Celtics head coach and 24-year bench boss Doc Rivers shared his perspective on which direction coaches might lean on the matter.

"He should be an All-Star this year, honestly. I think he will be because of the coach's vote. And he's the type of player that the coaches will vote for."

Perhaps White won't have to hope to fill in for someone after all.

This article first appeared on FanNation Inside The Celtics and was syndicated with permission.

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