The Boston Celtics have continued to improve since the return of Jayson Tatum, but heading into Thursday’s road matchup against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, they have multiple players listed as questionable on the injury report.
Boston enters the game with a 54–25 record, holding the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. They sit three games ahead of the third-seeded Knicks, and with just two games remaining after this one, the Celtics can clinch the No. 2 spot with a win.
Wednesday’s injury report for the Knicks game included Jaylen Brown (left Achilles tendinitis), Sam Hauser (low back spasm), Neemias Queta (right toe sprain), and Derrick White (right knee contusion). However, there has been a positive development regarding White’s status.
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According to Celtics reporter Noa Dalzell, White participated in the team’s morning shootaround and even led the end-of-practice trick-shot competition. The activity suggests the knee issue may be minor, especially considering he logged 37 minutes in Tuesday’s win over the Charlotte Hornets.
While White remains officially questionable, his participation in shootaround is an encouraging sign, even if he ends up playing limited minutes. Tatum was also active and admitted to feeling “nervous” and “anxious” ahead of his return to Madison Square Garden for the first time since he suffered injury there during last year's playoffs.
White’s availability will be crucial as Boston looks to take down a 51-win Knicks team. He has arguably been the Celtics’ most complete two-way player this season, averaging 16.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game, while shooting 39.7% from the field and 33% from three-point range.
He is also on the verge of a rare milestone, sitting just two blocks shy of 100 for the season. For a 6-foot-4 guard, that mark is extremely uncommon. If he reaches it, he would become only the second player 6-foot-5 or shorter to record 100 blocks in a season since the stat was officially tracked.
White has already surpassed 200 made three-pointers this year, and if he gets the remaining two blocks in the next three games, he would become the first player in NBA history to achieve both in the same season, a combination that highlights his unique two-way impact.
The 31-year-old remains especially important with Brown dealing with injury concerns, often serving as a stabilizing force for Boston’s offense in his absence. If White is unable to go, Payton Pritchard would likely move into the starting lineup, while Baylor Scheierman and Hugo González could see increased minutes.
