Derrick White has been named Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month, the NBA announced Tuesday afternoon.
White becomes the ninth recipient of the honor since it was introduced at the start of the 2024-25 campaign and is the first Celtic in franchise history to win the award.
San Antonio Spurs forward-center Victor Wembanyama and Boston Celtics guard Derrick White have been named the Kia NBA Western and Eastern Conference Defensive Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in February. pic.twitter.com/bv9F162B5g
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) March 3, 2026
The Celtics finished the month of February with the league's best defensive rating at 105.5, with White leading all Eastern Conference guards in defensive rating (100.0) and guards overall with 75 total contested shots (6.8 per game), while also averaging 1.7 blocks per contest, which was the third-most among any Eastern Conference player.
White's defense was one of the main reason's for the Celtics historic month, as they allowed 98.0 points per game -- the lowest of any NBA team in the past eight years and a full eight points better than the Charlotte Hornets -- who they face Wednesday -- as the next-closest team at 106.0 per game for February.
Boston also limited its opponents to a league-low 36.7 made field goals per game on a league-low 42.4% shooting from the field in February, while also ranking second in the league in rebounds per game (50.0), second in opponent fast-break points per game (10.9), and third in opponent second-chance points per game (12.5).
The Celtics finished the month with a 9-2 record and held six of their 11 opponents to 100 points or fewer, including three that failed to even reach 90 points.
White, who has been named to the All-Defense Second Team each of the past two years, is averaging 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals per game, which are both career-highs while anchoring the Celtics defense this season.
The Celtics now have the fourth-best defense in the league (111.6 defensive rating) -- a huge improvement since being ranked 19th back in November -- as they trail only the Oklahoma City Thunder, Detroit Pistons, and San Antonio Spurs.
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