Three Things I Noticed in the Conference Finals: Derrick White, Ace Rim-Protector
Plus the best pass of Jayson Tatum's career and Luka Doncic diming for dunks
This week’s edition of Three Things, starring Derrick White’s defense, Jayson Tatum’s passing, and Luka Doncic lobbing dunks, is free and unlocked for all to read.
Derrick White, rim protector
I think Derrick White has taken the crown long held by Dwyane Wade as the big guard rim-protector in the NBA.
He challenged the fourth-most shots at the rim during the regular season among all players listed at guard, per NBA Advanced Stats, and among the 113 such players who challenged 100 or more, he allowed the third-lowest conversion rate at 57.4%. (The two players ahead of him are Peyton Watson and Aaron Nesmith, neither of whom are actually guards.) He also blocked 86 shots, again third among guards, and again behind two players (Scottie Barnes and Watson) who are not actually guards.
Fast forward to the playoffs and it's more of the same. He's challenged the second-most shots at the rim, allowed the seventh-lowest conversion rate (and three of the players ahead of him aren't actually guards), and blocked the second-most shots. So, it wasn't exactly surprising to see him swat some shit in Game 3.
Still, that’s a one-on-one block against a damn center, a help side block that led to a foul on the other end, a blocked corner three, and a vicious recovery block off a freelanced switch on a pick and roll that, again, led to a foul on the other end. This is rare, rare stuff, and he makes it look almost routine.
The best pass of Jayson Tatum’s career
Before we get to the pass itself, I want to show how he worked his way up to it. He was looking for Al Horford outside the three-point arc out of screening action all game, hoping to take advantage of the space afforded to him by drop coverage and/or double teams.
But in the second half, he got more adventurous with the delivery. He hit a behind-the-back dish out of a pick and roll for a three that cut the lead in half early in the fourth quarter, and then…
How often do you see Tatum drive into traffic after curling around that side screen and just go up with it no matter what? Something like 90, 95% of the time? But not here. He draws a crowd of three Pacers and calmly slips it behind his back again, this time with pin-perfect accuracy directly into Horford’s shooting pocket. Considering the stage and stakes of the game and the quality of the look and delivery, I don’t think he’s ever thrown a better pass.
Doncic, diming dunks for Dereck and Daniel
Then there’s this fuckin guy. I mean, what can you even say about this kind of stuff?
White might make blocking shots look routine for a guard; but these passes actually are routine for Doncic. No-look to the roller out of a double from the top of the key? No problem. Driving lob after drawing help on the spin out of the post? Too easy. A pair of floating pick-and-roll oops after getting his defender on his back and drawing the help defender a half-step toward him and after from the rim? Simple. But really.