Jaylen Brown is officially headed to Los Angeles for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game as a starter for the Eastern Conference. But if you ask around the Celtics' locker room-or even the opposing bench-he shouldn’t be going alone.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle didn’t need much prompting before Wednesday night’s game at TD Garden. He made his case loud and clear: Derrick White belongs in the All-Star Game.
“Derrick White’s an All-Star,” Carlisle said flat-out. “He’s eighth in the league in blocked shots, and he’s such an important part of their team. Their team is playing very well.”
Carlisle isn’t the only one saying it. Brown echoed the sentiment after Boston’s 119-104 win over Indiana, praising White’s two-way impact and making a strong case for his backcourt partner to join him in L.A.
“D-White has been a two-way player all year,” Brown said. “And I know we live in an era where that doesn’t get as much praise or respect, but that contributes to winning a lot. I think Derrick White has been playing at an All-Star level because he plays both sides of the ball.”
Brown didn’t throw shade at other potential All-Stars, but he did point out a key difference: White’s ability to affect the game on both ends-and do it consistently.
“I think Derrick is a first-team All-Defense type of (player), or maybe even Defensive Player of the Year,” Brown added. “But on top of that, he contributes on offense, and that takes a lot more energy, a lot more effort to do night to night. And he’s healthy, he’s available.”
Availability, effort, and impact-three things that don’t always show up in highlight reels or fan vote totals, but they matter. And White’s been checking all those boxes for a Celtics team that’s currently sitting second in the East and owns the NBA’s third-best net rating.
Despite all that, White remains a long shot to make the All-Star roster. He finished 20th among Eastern Conference players in fan, player, and media voting-a far cry from Brown’s fifth-place finish, which earned him his first-ever All-Star start alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tyrese Maxey, Cade Cunningham, and Jalen Brunson.
But there’s still hope. The All-Star reserves are chosen by NBA coaches, and if Carlisle’s comments are any indication, there’s a growing recognition of White’s value around the league.
The numbers back it up. White is the only player in the league this season with at least 50 steals and 60 blocks.
That’s a rare defensive combo, especially from a guard. And on the offensive end, he’s posting career-best averages in points (17.6), assists (5.4), and rebounds (4.6).
Still, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. White started the season in a shooting slump, and those struggles have crept back in recently.
After scoring in double figures in 36 of his first 38 games, he hit a rough patch-eight points against Miami, seven against Atlanta, and just four in a tough one-point road loss to Detroit, where he shot 1-of-11 from the field and missed all six of his three-point attempts. He bounced back a bit against Indiana, finishing with 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting, plus five boards and five dimes.
This is shaping up to be the worst shooting season of White’s nine-year career. His true shooting percentage has dipped to 52.6%-down eight points from last season-and both his overall field goal percentage (39.1%) and three-point clip (32.3%) are trending toward career lows.
But here’s the thing: White’s value extends far beyond the shooting numbers.
He’s a connector. A glue guy.
The kind of player who makes winning plays that don’t always show up in the box score. Boston has been outscored with White on the floor in just 11 of his 42 games this season.
His total plus/minus? Tied for seventh-best in the league-behind only Cade Cunningham, Nikola Jokic, and four players from the surging Oklahoma City Thunder.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla summed it up best after the win over Indiana.
“He’s not defined by shooting efficiency,” Mazzulla said. “To me, that’s a bonus… But at the end of the day, it’s his pick-and-roll passing, his defensive versatility, his ability to sprint and get back tips, which has helped us get back into games at times. I think it’s hard to recognize all the other stuff, and it’s just easy to notice the shooting inefficiencies, because it’s right there.”
Brown agrees.
“Regardless of what the stats look like,” he said, “Derrick White is an All-Star.”
And if the coaches are watching what’s happening beyond the scoring column, they might just agree, too.