Derrick White led the Celtics to a win in Game 4 in Miami’s Kaycea Center, an arena that he’s had good luck in since Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals last year.

White connected on eight 3-pointers en route to scoring 38-points. He also finished with four rebounds, three assists, and three blocks in the game.

After the game, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, asked White how he’s been empowered to be the best player he can be and this season and the confidence that comes with it. White gave praise to head coach Joe Mazzulla and his teammates.

“It starts with Joe. Ever since he took over, he’s just given me the most confidence. I can talk to him, he can talk to me and just our relationship is just getting better and better each day. It’s amazing to play for him and I love it.”

When White was first acquired by Boston via the trade deadline, it was assumed there was a San Antonio connection between Ime Udoka and White. But as time has gone on, White has become an essential piece to the Celtics and he really enjoys playing for Mazzulla.

White has one year remaining on his contract and will become an unrestricted free agent in 2025. The two sides weren’t able to come to an agreement earlier this season, but they’ve both expressed interest in wanting to get it done.

Here’s what White said about how the contract negotiations went back on Oct. 25.

“They were good. Like I said, I love being here. Obviously, we’ve got another year after this year, so focus on it then. But I think they went well, and I want to be here for a long time, so that hasn’t changed.”

Celtics GM Brad Stevens was just awarded the Executive of the Year. Here’s what he said about a possible extension for White back on April 16.

“I can’t talk about much with things that we’re not allowed to discuss until Jul. 1, but Derrick has had an amazing year. Derrick is a huge, huge part of our team, and we want him around for as long as we can keep him.”

The Celtics have some big paydays starting up on their books within the next few years with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum on supermax deals and Jrue Holiday’s extension will kicking in, making Boston somewhat limited when it comes to signing contracts.

White is an essential player for this team and it would be wise for the Celtics to retain him for as long as they can, as the NBA’s executive of the year said.

I do think White’s relationship with Mazzulla will play a factor when it comes to making a decision on staying in Boston or moving on to another team.

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Photo Credit: Matt Stone, Media News Group, Boston Herald via Getty Images