White, 11th hour US choice, contributes in rout of Serbia

Derrick White (left) shares team-high in minutes played with superstar Kevin Durant to finish with a +15 rating in rout of Serbians. —AFP

Derrick White was a last-minute call-up by USA Basketball, replacing the injured Kawhi Leonard.

He hardly looked like an 11th-hour choice on Monday morning (Manila time) when the NBA-littered American squad whipped Serbia, 110-84, to open its gold medal-retention bid in the Summer Olympic Games in France.

White, an NBA champion with the Boston Celtics, tallied two points and two assists. He played for nearly 16 minutes—just as long as eventual topscorer Kevin Durant—primarily making things hard for the Eagles who were earlier billed as Team USA’s toughest challenge in pool play.

“Just go out there and just do what I do,” White said about his role in an interview published at Team USA’s website. “Just try to fill any holes that we may have and compete at a high level.”

White’s play in Team USA’s Paris Olympics opener has been commendable to say the least, considering the wealth of talent the squad has.

The American squad currently has 10 Olympic gold winners and features four NBA MVPs.

Even making White’s performance impressive was the fact that it was his first Olympic tour. White served in the US team that finished seventh in the 2019 World Cup, but it was during a time when the Americans hardly gave significant regard to the world championships.

White’s minutes became noteworthy for fans on social media, as his teammate and Boston’s cornerstone Jayson Tatum did not play against the Serbians.

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton was also sat out for the Americans that night.

Head coach Steve Kerr said in the postgame presser that he “went with the combinations that made sense” and noted that Tatum handled the development well and trusted that the Celtics star would eventually “make his mark” in the global showcase.

White, a two-time member of the NBA’s All-Defensive team, finished a +15 in the blowout of the Eagles, a side that won the silver in the last World Cup held in Manila. INQ