Derrick White started off the season strong, playing like the Celtics’ third-best star. But as the Celtics have struggled in recent games, so has White, especially of late. That was again the case in the Celtics’ disappointing loss to the Raptors on Wednesday, dropping them to 7-7 over the past 14 games.

White got the start, but he was ineffective for much of the night. He finished with six points, one assist and two turnovers, shooting 2-for-9 from the field and 1-for-7 on 3s. He was also a minus-29 in 21 minutes in a forgettable night. C’s star Jayson Tatum spoke about his friend’s struggles postgame.

“I understand how frustrating it can be when shots aren’t falling,” Tatum told reporters in Toronto. “You’re not playing up to the standard you expected of yourself because of how much how much you love the game and how much work you put in to it. … You just gotta trust that, in due time, it’s going to turn around.”

The 21 minutes were 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 the bench early in Wednesday’s game with 8:33 left in the first quarter. Payton Pritchard checked in for White after Mazzulla called timeout as the C’s steadied themselves from there.

But Wednesday was a slog of a game for the Celtics defensively. The Raptors kept the pressure on, pulling away in the fourth quarter. When the C’s looked to make a fourth-quarter comeback, White was on the bench as his struggles continued. Of course, the loss was a team effort as the C’s were listless most of the night, never putting together a threatening comeback attempt.

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

Now, all the Celtics and White can do is look toward the next game. Their play hasn’t been up to their standard of late, though they’re still second in the East at 28-12. But considering how great the C’s have been with White on the roster, this stretch of adversity has been a relative unknown. Plus, they have a tough January schedule to close it out from here as they look to pick up their overall play.

“He’s been great for us the entire year,” Mazzulla said. “We just gotta continue to play, continue to execute. Continue to believe in himself, I believe in him. We love him. He’s going through a little slump, but he works hard enough. He’ll bounce back from it. So nothing really there.”

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