DERRICK WHITE IS SLEPT ON
With the NBA regular season finished, the 16 remaining teams have switched focus and turned to the drawing board to analyze their playoff matchups. While most teams had to be faced with slowing down players like James Harden, Russell Westbrook, or Stephen Curry, the Denver Nuggets have had a different animal to tame: the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs are the best-coached team in the league and have seen success at the hands of superstars DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge. However, it’s another player who caught the Nuggets by surprise in the beginning of the playoff series – Derrick White. White’s success isn’t restricted to the playoffs. He’s been balling out all year in the shadows of his star teammates. Now, he’s showing out and proving that he’s been Slept On this season.
FROM DIVISION 2 TO ROUND 1
Long before being a Spur, White’s basketball career looked like it was going on a much different path. He was barely recruited out of high school, receiving only one offer from the Denver campus of Johnson and Wales University near where White grew up in Colorado. However, after a coaching change and growth spurt, White ended up in Division II at the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs.
White was so low ranked, he wasn’t even expected to start until he was an upperclassman. However, White showed the drive and commitment to get a starting spot for his freshman season and started all 24 games that season.
In fact, White started EVERY game in his three years at UCCS and averaged over 22 PPG for the Mountain Lions. After three successful years, White decided it was time for something more and transferred to the University of Colorado DI campus.
In one season, White showed his NBA potential and averaged 18.1 PPG despite being a newcomer to the Rams. After his impressive season, White was included in the 2017 NBA Draft conversations and eventually went 29th overall to the San Antonio Spurs.
ROUGH START AND BREAKOUT
After overcoming his slow start in college, White’s NBA career also started in a disappointing way. After 17 games off the bench and a short stint in the G-League, White fractured his right wrist. He missed a majority of the season.
White came back in 2018-19 with a vengeance and proved his worth around the end of December, taking over the starting job from Dante Cunningham.
With White in the lineup, the Spurs went 35-18 and were one of the league’s most efficient offenses. He switched between playing the small forward for the small Spurs’ lineup and being a true combo guard whenever the Spurs would play with a larger lineup.
Despite missing some time with a small plantar fascia tear, White finished the season averaging 9.9 PPG, a respectable number for a player who started on the bench and had to share touches with one of the NBA’s best shooting guards in DeMar DeRozan.
HOW HE GETS IT DONE
White’s game has one of the most important characteristics in the modern NBA: versatility. He isn’t limited to only one or two elite skills. He can do almost anything on the floor and do it well. Although his skill-set may be varied, there a few things he does at an exceptionally higher level than others.
The first thing you immediately notice about White’s game is his jumping ability and raw athleticism. Ever since college, White has used his quick feet to get off the ground and finish at a high level. He can dunk with ease in any situation and can get rebounds/putbacks because of his leg work. Oh, and he killed Paul Millsap. So…
White has more than just leaping ability. He’s also incredibly gifted off of screens. This is an acquired skill for White since he’s moved to the NBA. It helps to get coached by Gregg Popovich who loves to use advanced screen-play. White’s jumping ability gives him a good hop to the rim after coming off screens, but his oft-forgotten court vision also gives him a keen ability to pass to big men off of the screen, sometimes with little hesitation. This instinctual screen work has given the Spurs many buckets when they needed them in the regular season.
White is a gifted scorer, a playoff player, and a big-time future star for the Spurs. AND, he’s definitely Slept On.
Wanna talk basketball? Think of someone who’s Slept On? Hit up my Twitter: @JDavidsenPS