Green With Envy: A Boston Celtics Podcast
Episode: What is going on with Derrick White? + Mediocre Life Updates
Date: November 3, 2025
Hosts: Will Weir & Greg Menekis
Episode Overview
Will and Greg break down a pivotal weekend for the Celtics as they split games against the Sixers and Rockets. The episode revolves around analyzing the team's rollercoaster week, a deep dive into Derrick White's early-season struggles, Jaylen Brown’s leadership, and evolving rotations. They also keep it light with their “Mediocre Life Update” segment, reflecting on dinner with friends and Halloween as new parents.
Celtics Recap & Key Themes
1. A Needed Reset After a Rough Start
- The Celtics rebounded from a rocky 1-3 start to win three out of their last four, including a big victory over the previously undefeated Sixers.
- Will: “A week ago… we were actually sitting here like, man, we might have three wins by the end of November, right? ... And then they get three wins out of four games.” [03:31]
- Both hosts agree last week’s results let them focus again on player development and team growth.
2. Sixers Game: Crunch Time Analysis
Joe Mazzulla’s Timeouts Under the Microscope
- Greg highlights Mazzulla’s use of timeouts in crunch time—particularly, calling one as Josh Minot was about to inbound to Derrick White.
- Quote: “20 seconds left. Celtics are up by one... Joe Missoula sees Josh Minot about to inbound the ball, and he just dead sprints towards the referee calling a timeout... just because he didn't trust Josh Minot to make the right play.” —Greg [06:55]
- Will notes a larger trend: “Joe instinctually wants to let it play out and then tried to… correct, which ended up being likely an overcorrection.” [10:58]
- Both see Mazzulla still evolving with this new (less veteran-heavy) Celtics roster.
Poor Closing Offense
- Closing minutes saw Boston take poor shots, largely by Josh Minot and Xavier Tillman, instead of the key veterans.
- Will: “All of those used to be Drew Holiday, Al Horford and Porzingis… Life’s a lot different these days.” [12:12]
- Greg explains Missoula’s challenge “Because in the past you had nothing but two way players … now he's going to have to do a lot more offense, defense, pick your poison…” [12:26]
3. Jaylen Brown’s Leadership & Development
- Both hosts heap praise on Jaylen for his two-way impact, particularly in the Philly win.
- “That was maybe the best half of basketball I’ve seen Jaylen play this season for sure, but in quite some time.” —Greg [13:31]
- Will: “Jaylen has been awesome this year… There’s been an adjustment now that we see on the court to… just lean into being that dynamic scorer. … I’m through the roof impressed with Jaylen Brown so far.” [14:07]
4. Derrick White: Early Season Struggles
Numbers Talk
- The hosts focus on Derrick White’s drop-off in efficiency:
- Usage up (+6.1% from last year).
- Rim efficiency dropped from 71% to 42%.
- Effective FG% at just 38%.
- “Derrick White is… among the players with the biggest usage increase last season to this year... point per attempt drops … rim efficiency has dropped…” —Greg (quoting from Celtics blog) [16:17]
- Will: “It’s tough. … This has been one of the more interesting discussion points of the season… it just feels like Derrick White is trying to do a bit too much.” [19:00]
Shot Quality & Adjustment
- Greg breaks down White’s missed vs. made threes, noting that, “there’s just like a lot of Derrick White doing things that... maybe they weren't quite as many heat check threes as before… maybe it's just like he's, he's…” [21:40]
- Will and Greg agree the solution is for White to stay within his game and for Simons to take on more creation duties, freeing White up for catch-and-shoot looks:
- “I liked the more aggressive Simons because I think it allows Derrick White to… pick his spots a little bit more.” —Will [22:53]
5. Peyton Pritchard: Promising Trends in New Role
- Excellent assist-to-turnover ratio and signs of improvement shooting from two, despite a perplexing slump from three.
- “He's still averaging 14 and a half points a game despite his main asset just completely backfiring on him to this point in the season…” —Will [25:37]
- “If Pritchard and White can at least get to [30% shooting from three], imagine what that's going to do for the rest of the offense.” —Greg [29:03]
6. Team Style: Pace, Defense, and Young Player Growth
- Boston is playing very slowly (“29th in pace” —Will [31:15]), despite preseason talk about running more.
- Defensive intensity is up, with Ugo, Minot, and Shireman being trusted at the point of attack.
- Ugo and Minot: “Each of them could go 0–4 in a game, but you feel their impact in all these different ways. Baylor to a degree has to be productive offensively…” —Will [32:59]
- “I love Josh Minot and Ugo's because, you know, Ugo's got that crazy wingspan. Josh Minot plays way bigger...” —Greg [37:24]
7. Rockets Game: No Panic, Just a Bad Schedule Spot
- Hosts shrug off the loss as a back-to-back ‘schedule loss’ with Rockets getting hot from three.
- “Bad matchup, bad timing. Rockets had a lot of rest... Guys that aren't normally great shooters were hitting threes....” —Greg [35:41]
8. Looking Ahead: NBA Cup and Upcoming Games
- Both express excitement for the Celtics’ NBA Cup group games this week, including a home stretch against the Wizards and a key matchup vs. the Magic.
- “I'm excited for the NBA Cup…opportunity for the Celtics to make some noise, have a little bit of fun and see what these guys do in quote unquote big games…” —Greg [39:14]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Jaylen Brown: “Jaylen has been awesome this year… I’m through the roof impressed.” —Will [14:07]
- On Derrick White: “It just feels like Derrick White is trying to do a bit too much. But at the same time, it’s understandable why…” —Will [19:00]
- Greg on timeout drama: “Joe Missoula sees Josh Minot about to inbound the ball, and he just dead sprints towards the referee calling a timeout…” [06:55]
- Will on shot distribution: “All of those used to be Drew Holiday, Al Horford and Porzingis… Life’s a lot different these days.” [12:12]
Timestamps for Major Segments
| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|------------------------------------------------------| | 01:30 | Start of episode/content, initial Celtics recap | | 06:32 | Sixers game crunch time and Joe Mazzulla’s timeouts | | 13:31 | Jaylen Brown’s first half and leadership | | 16:17 | Derrick White’s struggles: stats and analysis | | 19:00 | Discussion: Why is Derrick White struggling? | | 22:53 | Simons’ aggression & impact on White’s role | | 25:37 | Peyton Pritchard: positives and shooting woes | | 29:03 | Celtics’ shooting issues & impact on offense | | 31:09 | Celtics pace: why so slow? | | 32:59 | Ugo, Minot, Shireman: rotation and development | | 35:41 | Rockets game: Accepting the ‘schedule loss’ | | 39:14 | Looking ahead to NBA Cup and upcoming schedule | | 41:09 | “Mediocre Life Update” segment |
“Mediocre Life Update” Segment
A relatable, lighthearted close to the episode. [41:09]
- Will and Greg catch up on a rare couples’ dinner and group dynamics, reflecting on how outings become spaces for their wives to “air their grievances.”
- Will: “I think they’re just group therapy…like we did a makeshift passing the rock…”
- Greg, recounting Halloween as new parents: “Halloween has this…I feel like it’s a lot more for the parents than for the kids this early on.” [52:48]
- Both discuss how parenthood changed their feeling about Halloween and share amusing neighborhood stories.
Takeaways
- The Celtics are regaining their footing after an early slide but are still navigating life post-veteran depth, especially in late-game situations.
- Jaylen Brown’s ascendance and efficiency have been a stabilizing force.
- Derrick White is in an early-season funk, largely due to increased responsibilities and shot selection; getting Simons more aggressive may help.
- The young trio (Ugo, Minot, Shireman) are giving Boston defensive energy and versatility, showing promise for the bench.
- The hosts maintain optimism and humor, both about the Celtics’ prospects and about navigating adult life.