No matter how killer Derrick White’s style of play is, in terms of his personality and character, the Celtics’ star is very calm, sweet, and peaceful. Consequently, he is one of the few NBA players who have never gotten a technical foul since he never does anything aggressive, and never engages in disruptive behavior, or any unsportsmanlike conduct on the court.
In the recent episode of his new ‘White Noise’ podcast, White admitted that several teammates like Jayson Tatum yank his chain in the locker room over this.
“Early in my career, I was like I’ll never get one. But then the last couple of years, I feel like I’ve gotten closer and closer.”
“I mean, there are guys on the team that have been giving me hell about not having a tech, too. JT told me he doesn’t respect me until I get a technical.”
“Not against it, but I’m not going to go out of my way to get one.”
White is one of those guys who will hit a clutch three on your head, and all his celebration would be is a clap or a nod of the head. In the 10,872 minutes he has played in his career, Derrick White has never received an ejection or even so much as a technical foul.
Malcolm Brogdon and Mike Conley are the only two active players who have played more than 13,000 minutes in the NBA and still have not received a technical. Some other players who never got a technical include Walt Frazier and Otto Porter Jr.
Jayson Tatum On A Historic Road To Recovery
The Celtics’ championship ambitions took a major dent when Jayson Tatum went down with what initially seemed like an ankle injury but ended up being an Achilles injury during the 2024 Playoffs. But as a sign of relief for the Celtics organization, he may be back to full fitness long before the expected timeline.
After Tatum got surgery within 24 hours of the injury, there were early signs that he might recover from his injury much sooner. While the initial estimate was that Tatum would not be back for the entire 2025-26 season, his progress now indicates he may be back near the end of the 2025-26 season.
https://www.instagram.com/p/p:DNBgJjzunWv
But these are baby steps for Tatum, which could eventually become a leap of faith that the Celtics need to take by potentially playing Tatum as early as next season. An Achilles injury usually takes four to six months to heal, but a full return to sports and high-stress activities usually takes a year or more.
Since Tatum looks fast-tracked on the timeline, the predictions of his early return are only based on the public perception of his progress. The Celtics could decide not to take any risks and sit Tatum out for the entire 2025-26 season, irrespective. So it will be interesting to see what the Celtics decide to do about it when the time comes.
