Derrick White Jokes About Preferred Celtics Starting Lineup

Before the Celtics embarked on their 2023-24 season, Boston’s best players huddled up for an important conversation.

Following the Celtics’ road win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night, Jrue Holiday revealed the team’s top six players talked about their respective roles for the campaign. It was a chat worth having, as one of those starting-caliber players was going to have to take on a bench role to open the season.

It was Al Horford who joined Boston’s reserve players at Madison Square Garden, but if White had his way, it would have been a different teammate.

“I voted for JT (Jayson Tatum) to come off the bench,” White told reporters Thursday, per MassLive’s Brian Robb.

Tatum thrived in his typical No. 1 role in the Celtics’ season opener, scoring a game-high 34 points to go along with 11 rebounds. Horford, meanwhile, received words of gratitude from head coach Joe Mazzulla after coming off the bench and helping keep the C’s on track with his effort.

Mazzulla potentially could tinker with his starting five over the course of the season, as the new-look Celtics still are in the process of forming their identity. But unfortunately for White, Tatum is a lock to be a starter in any configuration Boston utilizes.