Derrick White sets new Boston Celtics record for most threes in a season
Derrick White is the new three-point king of the Boston Celtics. White set a new Celtics franchise record for the most three-point makes in a single season on Monday night, as he helped Boston beat the Memphis Grizzlies for the team's ninth straight win.
White drained a three early in the fourth quarter over 7-foot-4 Memphis big man Zach Edey, giving him his 246th made three of the season. That broke the previous Celtics record, which was set by Isaiah Thomas during his All-Star season for Boston in 2016-17.
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The record-setting three came after White started the game 1-of-9 from downtown. He finished 3-of-11 from deep in the 117-103 Boston win for 14 points, but did a lot of other Derrick White things as he finished with 10 assists, eight rebounds, and a pair of blocks. He also drained another three late in the game to put an end to an 8-0 Memphis run.
White has become quite the three-point deadeye since joining the Celtics at the 2021-22 NBA trade deadline. He had never made more than 84 threes in a season while with the San Antonio Spurs, but has made 149, 196, and now 246 (on track for 270 makes) threes over his three full seasons with Boston, respectively.
White credited an unlikely source for his three-point motivation after his record-setting game.
White credits Celtics rival for his three-point evolution
After being acquired by the Celtics, White hit just 30.6 percent of his three-point shots to close out the 2021-22 regular season and then just 31.3 percent off 3.6 attempts in the postseason. White was often left wide open in Boston's six-game NBA Finals loss to the Warriors, as Golden State didn't see him as a three-point threat.
White is now one of the most lethal and clutch three-point shooters in the NBA (he's hitting 60.9 percent from deep in clutch situations), and thanks Draymond Green and the Warriors for helping with his evolution from downtown.
"After the Finals, I feel like that was the biggest summer of my life," White said after Boston's win in Memphis. "What happened in the Finals and how I was being guarded on that stage, it was one of my lowest points. Like I told Draymond [Green] after the Olympics [in 2024], he kind of changed my life because they weren't guarding me. I had to go in that summer and me and my trainer, Marcus Mason, just focused on being consistent. And from that point, I just got better and better."
White shot 45.5 percent from downtown during the 2022-23 playoffs, and 40.4 percent (making 3.4 of his 8.5 attempts) from deep during Boston's march to an NBA title last postseason.
Tatum, Pritchard not far behind White's 3-point record
While White returns to Boston after a 6-0 road trip as Boston's all-time three-point king, the record may not be his for long. Jayson Tatum is at 240 made threes for the season, and Sixth-Man favorite Payton Pritchard has drained 238 threes this year.
"We talked about it on the plane and it's pretty cool that three of us are so close to doing something special," White said after Monday's win. "Honestly, looking back at my career, never thought I'd be in this position. So just thankful for the coaching staff, thankful for the guys on this team. I know I wouldn't be able to do it without them.
"I'll hold it for now until one of them breaks my record, so that's cool," added White.
White will look to add to his record amount of threes -- and Tatum and Pritchard will continue to give chase -- when the Celtics host the Miami Heat at TD Garden on Wednesday night.