Derrick White's rise with the Celtics puts the Hawks and the rest of the NBA on notice.
The TD Garden crowd screamed "MVP" after Celtics player Derrick White headed to the free throw line for his 25th and 26th points of the game.
"So, that's what it feels like?" Following the 119-106 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, White questioned Tatum.
The Celtics hold a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series, thanks to Tatum. "I'm guessing so."
During his first full season with the Celtics, White learned that he belonged there, and the Boston audience agreed.
White's basketball career path differs from that of Tatum and the great majority of NBA players.
He received no scholarship offers as a senior in high school, weighing only 155 pounds, and had to settle for a stipend from Division II University of Colorado Colorado Springs.
Transferring to the DI Boulder campus took three years and a late growth spurt.
White was one of a few graduating seniors invited to a showcase weeks before the 2017 draft combine, when the San Antonio Spurs saw enough to choose him 29th overall.