The last player added to Team USA’s roster showed he more than belonged with an outstanding performance off the bench in a 103-86 win over South Sudan on Wednesday.
Derrick White, who replaced an injured Kawhi Leonard a few weeks before the Olympic Games began, scored 10 points while adding three steals, one rebound, one assist, and one block on perfect 3-3 shooting – all coming from beyond the arc.
White, who is coming off an NBA Championship with the Boston Celtics, doesn’t exactly have the career many would expect for someone named to the 12-man Team USA roster.
He’s never been an All-Star or an All-NBA player, his career averages of 12.3 points and 4.1 assists are good but not great, and he has just two All-Defensive Second Team nods to his name.
However, the former Colorado guard’s defense and outside shooting provided a boost for Team USA in the second quarter, and his understanding of his role as a 3-and-D guard provides a perfect compliment to the more ball-dominant players on the roster – like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Anthony Edwards.
White spent one year in college with the Buffs, averaging 18.1 points, 4.4 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.2 steals in 2016-17. That led to him getting selected 29th overall in 2017 by the San Antonio Spurs, eventually making his way to Boston in 2021 and making back-to-back All Defensive Teams and finishing eight in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2023-24.
Team USA will play Puerto Rico on Saturday, August 3 at 11:15 AM ET in the final game of group play.