2023 Awards Series Most Improved Player: Derrick White

After producing such impressive numbers on that end of the floor, it was no surprise to see White earn his first NBA All-Defense selection as a member of the Second Team.

He also became the first Celtic since Isaiah Thomas in 2016-17 to play in all 82 regular-season games. On top of that, he played in all 20 postseason games for a total of 102 appearances.

White took his game to another level in the playoffs, especially from an efficiency standpoint. Across three series, he averaged 13.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.0 BPG while shooting 50.5 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from deep, and 91.2 percent from the free-throw line. He joined Ray Allen and Eddie House as one of three players in team history to shoot 50/40/90 during a single postseason run.

And to top it all off, he hit the most memorable shot of the season: a buzzer-beating tip-in to win Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Miami, which saved Boston from elimination (for the moment, at least).

That shot was an impeccable way for White to cap off a season of progress – a year in which he was Boston’s Most Improved Player.