Derrick White started the season strong and played like the Celtics’ third best star. But just as the Celtics have struggled in recent games, White has also struggled, especially recently. That was also the case in the Celtics’ disappointing loss to the Raptors on Wednesday, which dropped them to 7-7 in their last 14 games.

White got the start but was ineffective for most of the evening. He finished the game with six points, one assist and two turnovers while shooting 2 of 9 from the field and 1 of 7 from three-pointers. On an unforgettable night, he was minus-29 in 21 minutes. C’s star Jayson Tatum spoke about his friend’s struggles after the game.

“I understand how frustrating it can be when no shots are fired,” Tatum told reporters in Toronto. “You don’t play at the level you expected of yourself because you love the game so much and put so much work into it. … You just have to trust that it will change in due time.”

The 21 minutes was a season low for White as his cold shooting continued Wednesday. C’s coach Joe Mazzulla, with his team down 15-5 early, decided to go to the bench early in Wednesday’s game with 8:33 left in the first quarter. Payton Pritchard checked in for White after Mazzulla called a timeout, while the C’s stabilized from there.

But Wednesday was a tough game for the Celtics defensively. The Raptors kept up the pressure and pulled away in the fourth quarter. As the C’s attempted a comeback in the fourth quarter, White was on the bench and his problems continued. Of course, the loss was a team effort, as the C’s were listless for most of the night and never managed a threatening comeback attempt.

White has been in the midst of a slump over the last four games. He has shot just 8 of 36 (22.2%) over the last four games and is averaging just 6.5 points per game. He started 2025 with two strong games in Minnesota and Houston, but has struggled since then. Considering how effective he was in Boston, a four-game sample size isn’t anything to panic about, but it was tough.

Now all the Celtics and White can do is look ahead to the next game. Their play hasn’t been up to their standard lately, although they’re still second in the East at 28-12. But considering how great the C’s were with White on the roster, this difficult stretch was relatively unheard of. Plus, they have a tough schedule to finish the game from here in January as they look to improve their overall result.

“He’s been great for us all year,” Mazzulla said. “We just have to keep playing, keep executing. Keep believing in yourself, I believe in him. We love him. He’s going through a bit of a crisis right now, but he’s working hard enough. He will recover from this. So actually nothing there.”

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