Celtics’ Al Horford Makes Push for Derrick White as All-Star

Former five-time All-Star Boston Celtics center Al Horford believes his teammate Derrick White deserves to make his first-ever All-Star squad this year.

Al Horford said Derrick White is an All-Star:

“Why? Because he’s a winner. He does all the all the things that need to be done for our team to succeed.” pic.twitter.com/nkxEBmzEkb
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) January 10, 2025

“Why? Because he’s a winner," Horford told reporters, per Noa Dalzell of SB Nation. "He does all the all the things that need to be done for our team to succeed. He scores the ball, he plays defense, he leads our team, that's our point guard, and also a lot of intangibles — a lot of things that you can't put a number on."

"I feel like a lot of times, we try to measure [an All-Star] in numbers," Horford said. "He can put them up if he needs to, but more importantly, he plays to win. Ultimately, I think that that's gonna be rewarded for him.”

The 6-foot-4 vet out of Colorado, 30, was flipped at the 2021-22 season deadline to the Celtics from the San Antonio Spurs for Josh Richardson, former No. 14 overall pick Romeo Langford, a future 2022 first rounder, and a 2028 pick swap.

White's addition made an instant two-way impact to Boston, helping the club stabilize its season and ultimately make its first NBA Finals with its Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown core. White was also a critical component to the Celtics' championship run last year.

Horford isn't the only person who believes the two-time All-NBA Defensive Teamer deserves consideration for the honor, as experts agree he has a shot at his All-Star debut next month.

This season, White is averaging a career-high 17.1 points on .452/.392/.822 shooting splits, 4.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.3 blocks and 0.9 steals a night across 35 healthy games for the Celtics.

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He's been one of the team's best two-way contributors this year. Beyond Tatum and Brown, White is now the team's steadiest scoring presence, in part because oft-hurt starting center Kristaps Porzingis has flitted in and out of the lineup all year with various maladies.

White is certainly worthy of making the All-Star cut, but the Eastern Conference is loaded with talented guards. Time will tell if he makes the cut. For now, White is not among the top 10 in fan voting, although he was always going to be a long shot to be named an All-Star starter.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokić continue to lead their respective conferences in the second fan returns of #NBAAllStar Voting presented by AT&T.

Fans account for 50% of the vote to decide All-Star starters. Players and a media panel account for 25% each.

Next fan update:… pic.twitter.com/oQvm99AmE5
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 9, 2025

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