Key Development Has This NBA Player Primed For A Breakout Season
Derrick White is primed for a breakout season, but how was he able to get in this situation?
As a high school student, Derrick White was an average basketball player. He was an undersized point guard at the time, and he wasn't recruited out of high school. Derrick White ended up going to the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. White was 6 feet at the time and for his freshmen year didn't receive enough playing time to make an impact in the game.
Derrick White was overlooked in his high school career and he lacked a strong developmental team that trusted him. Derrick White improved marginally throughout his career, but when he got to college he had head coach Tad Boyle show tremendous belief in his abilities. Derrick White later transferred to the Colorado Buffaloes, getting a coach who believed in him and invested a lot of time with him.
Unlocked Potential
This is when Derrick White started to show that he had the potential to be a very impactful NBA player. With a full development team with the Buffaloes, White had the full trust of his coaching staff, and he even started to hit a growth spurt going from six feet to 6'4 during his college career.
Derrick White broke out with Colorado averaging 18 points, four rebounds, and four assists. White started playing the best basketball of his career the moment he had a coaching staff and a team who had full faith in him. This caused Derrick White to have a career year, and play with the most confidence on the court he has ever played with. Derrick White showed stagnant growth throughout his career, but the right coaching staff put him in a position to make it into the NBA.
Derrick White was the 29th overall pick in the 2017 draft, and there is where he inherited a coaching staff that was even more committed to his development than before: The Spurs. The Spurs under Gregg Popovich have been extremely successful at developing their talent. The Spurs have an extremely intelligent coaching staff that breaks down the game.
In San Antonio, Derrick White started to gain even more confidence and started to reach his full potential. White had a deep respect for Gregg Popovich, and Popovich helped White realize his true potential and gave him lots of time to develop him.
Popovich has said that in his development period, White was "Outstanding" and that he would practice three times a day as a rookie. The esteem he formed and the actualization Derrick White had unlocked his maximum capacity as a player.
NBA Development
Derrick White as a rookie averaged three points per game. The next year, he saw an increase in trust from his coaching staff and started to get 25 minutes per game. In his sophomore year, he averaged nine points per game. Two seasons after that, White began averaging between fourteen and fifteen points per game.
Derrick White's fantastic play got him recognition from a top contender: The Boston Celtics. The Celtics traded away one of their first-round picks for Derrick White and wanted him to be a core piece to a championship run. Derrick White came in as the number two point guard behind Marcus Smart. White in his first year with the Celtics struggled with shooting.
White was shooting 30% from the three-point area, which would significantly hurt the team. However, after the season ended, White spent a lot of time working on his shooting stroke with assistants. White's hard work paid off. The Boston Celtics traded Marcus Smart and now White seems to be the starting guard for the Celtics. White's in a position to have a career year, and it was crucial development from his coaching staff and his hard work that got him in this spot.
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