During the Boston Celtics game against the Toronto Raptors on January 15, broadcaster Drew Carter alleged that former NBA player JJ Redick “cursed” Derrick White. The alleged curse started after White appeared on Redick’s “The Old Man & the Three” podcast on January 5.
Between January 5 and before the Celtics played the Raptors on January 15, Derrick White had shot 34.5% from the field and 32.1% from three, per NBA.com. Those are a stark contrast from his season-long numbers of 47.4% from the field and 41% from three, per Basketball-Reference.
During the Raptors-Celtics game, Carter attributed White’s struggles to appearing on White’s podcast, calling it a curse. To further add to his point, he added that White had a similar slump directly after appearing on the same podcast in December 2022. From December 9, 2022 to January 11, 2023, White shot 40.9% from the field and 23.7% three, per NBA.com.
While all of that data is sheer coincidence, Redick indicated he heard what Carter said. Soon after Carter alleged that Redick “cursed” White, Redick tweeted his response via his X account.
It appears White may have broken the curse. Not only did he shoot five-for-11 from three, but also hit the dagger to seal the win against the Raptors.
Jrue Holiday Calls Derrick White an All-Star
During his postgame interview with NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin, Jrue Holiday sang Derrick White’s praises, explaining why he believes his teammate is an all-star.
“He’s an all-star,” Holiday told Chin via Celtics on NBC Sports Boston’s X account. “I think the things that he does a lot of the time go unnoticed. But the way that he plays, the way that he carries his team, especially with (Jaylen Brown) out tonight, and hit a big shot in the corner, yeah, that’s what D-White does.”
Holiday’s contributions also played a factor in how the Celtics came away with the victory against the Raptors. In almost 34 minutes, Holiday put up 22 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and two blocks while shooting seven-for-14 from the field and four-for-six from three.
That included two clutch three-pointers in the fourth quarter that kept the Raptors at arm’s length.
While Derrick White was the one who effectively ended the game with his clutch three-pointer, Holiday was the one who kept the Celtics in the driver’s seat.
Joe Mazzulla Shouts Out Jrue Holiday’s Adjustment
After the Celtics beat the Raptors, head coach Joe Mazzulla praised Holiday adjusting to his new role with the Celtics. Mazzulla did so by comparing how Holiday had to adjust to when Derrick White had to adjust when he first arrived in Boston.
I am listening @NBCSBoston
— JJ Redick (@jj_redick) January 16, 2024
“Everybody forgets when Derrick first got here, the adjustment that it took for him and Jrue’s in that category now. He’s just learning how to affect the game differently, and you can see him getting more comfortable on both ends of the floor. I thought he was doing that tonight,” Mazzulla said, per Taylor Snow’s X account.
The Celtics acquired White at the NBA Trade Deadline in 2022, while they acquired Holiday just before training camp. In both of those scenarios, learning how the team runs things takes time. They’ve definitely needed that, and it’s led to Celtics wins despite being shorthanded.
