How Derrick White’s Embrace of Celtics’ Underdog Role Could Change the Game Forever

Isn’t it fascinating how quickly the tides can turn? The Boston Celtics, a team comfortably nestled in the perennial championship conversation since Derrick White marched into Beantown, suddenly find themselves perched on an unfamiliar ledge—the underdog’s. You see, Post-White’s arrival in 2022, this franchise endured NBA Finals battles, hoisted a championship trophy, and didn’t miss a beat in clutching an 11-season playoff streak. Yet, fast forward to the 2025-26 season, and the landscape is unrecognizable. Imagine losing not just a star—Jayson Tatum to a brutal Achilles rupture—but also trading away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, effectively dismantling 60% of your starting five. It begs the question: Can a revamped Celtics lineup, with White and Finals MVP Jaylen Brown as the sole veterans, still carve out a path to glory? Derrick White, surprisingly, relishes this newfound doubt. After rising from Division II obscurity to NBA champion and Olympic gold medalist, maybe it’s just the kind of challenge he likes—where no one expects you to prevail, but you do anyway. So, as Boston braces for a gritty season of proving doubters wrong, one wonders if embracing the underdog role could spark something special in the Garden’s rafters once more… LEARN MORE.