Celtics’ Al Horford pushes for Derrick White to be an All-Star

Former five-time All-Star Boston Celtics center Al Horford believes teammate Derrick White deserves to make his first All-Star team this year.

“Why? Because he’s a winner,” Horford told reporters, according to SB Nation’s Noa Dalzell. “He does everything that needs to be done for our team to be successful. He scores the ball, he plays defense, he leads our team, he is our point guard and also a lot of intangibles, a lot of things that you can’t put a number on” .

“I feel like a lot of times we try to measure (an All-Star) in numbers,” Horford said. “He can put them in if he has to, but the most important thing is that he plays to win. In the end, I think that will pay off for him.”

The 6-foot-4 veteran from Colorado, 30, was traded at the deadline of the 2021-22 season to the Celtics from the San Antonio Spurs for Josh Richardson, former No. 14 overall pick Romeo Langford, a future 2022 first-round pick, and a 2028 pick swap.

The addition of White made an instant impact in Boston, helping the club stabilize its season and ultimately reach its first NBA Finals with its Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown core. White was also a critical component in the Celtics’ championship run last year.

Horford isn’t the only person who believes the two-time All-NBA Defensive Team member deserves consideration for the honor, as experts agree he has a shot at an All-Star debut next month.

Read more: Celtics’ Derrick White considered a strong case for first All-Star nod

This season, White is averaging a career-high 17.1 points with shooting splits of .452/.392/.822, 4.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.3 blocks and 0.9 steals per night in 35 healthy games for the Celtics.

More Celts: Heat Rival reveals Celtics once promised to draft him

He has been one of the team’s best two-way contributors this year. Beyond Tatum and Brown, White is now the team’s most consistent scoring presence, in part because oft-injured starting center Kristaps Porzingis has been in and out of the lineup all year with various illnesses.

White is certainly All-Star worthy, but the Eastern Conference is loaded with talented point guards. Time will tell if he takes the step. For now, White is not in the top 10 in fan voting, although he was always going to be a longshot at being named an All-Star starter.

More Celts: Boston listed as possible suit for former first-round draft pick

Celtics prove to be historically great on the road this season