As the Olympics unfold, many around the basketball world are realizing what those who watch the Celtics religiously have known for quite some time: Derrick White can flat out hoop.
Whether it’s a sneaky defensive play, a timely 3 or a subtle, intelligent adjustment, White consistently provides exactly what his team needs. His versatility was on display Wednesday, as he contributed 10 points (3-of-3 shooting), 3 steals, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 block to finish plus-18 in 17 minutes in a 103-86 win over South Sudan.
Team USA (2-0) cemented its spot in the quarterfinals, with a clash against Puerto Rico on Saturday at 11:15 a.m. EST on the horizon to close out pool play. South Sudan (1-1) will face Serbia on Saturday as well after another solid effort against the U.S.
Yes, Jayson Tatum played, and yes, Jrue Holiday continued to showcase his versatility, but White was by far the biggest Celtics contributor in this one.
This admittedly hasn’t been a strong few weeks for Tatum…. but at least the defending champion Celtics have Team USA MVP Derrick White!
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) July 31, 2024
Holiday chipped in 5 points and 2 rebounds in 15 minutes. Tatum, who became the talk of the basketball world after not seeing any time against Serbia, contributed 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block in 17-plus minutes.
While Tatum never found a rhythm as a scorer, he did contribute in a variety of ways (sound familiar?). He drove to the rim and unselfishly found Anthony Davis for a bucket inside. It took him a bit of time to shake off the rust, as he bricked a corner 3 and missed a layup in the opening quarter.
HIs teammates continued to have his back. Holiday stuck a jumper to give the United States the lead for good, 12-10, late in the corner. White then swatted a Carlik Jones layup attempt, picked a pocket and tipped it to Holiday and swished a 3 to help the U.S. claim a 26-14 edge through 1.
Announcer Noah Eagle likened White to Forrest Gump, in that he never stops running.
Tatum found Tyrese Haliburton for 3 to make it 43-23, then rejected a Nuni Omot (24 points) shot as the U.S pushed the margin to 55-36 at halftime.
Team USA repeatedly made the extra pass, assisting on 17 of its 19 buckets and shooting 54 percent in the half. Bam Adebayo (team-high 18 points total) paced the U.S. with 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting before the break. On the other end, South Sudan shot just 37 percent from the floor and turned it over nine times. Team USA attempted 13 free throws, compared to one for South Sudan.
Tatum scored his first hoop of the Olympics early in the third quarter on an alley-oop from Steph Curry. Both White (back) and Holiday (ankle) suffered minor injuries in the quarter but stayed in the game.
South Sudan chipped away, but White drained a timely 3 to make it 65-52 midway through the third. He’s often efficient, but he took it to a new level in this one.
White found Adebayo for an alley-oop late in the quarter, as the U.S. built a 73-57 cushion through three. The United States cruised from there, as Holiday blocked a shot as time expired to seal it.
Red, Derrick White and Blue continues to ring true.
