During the Celtics’ title-clinching Game 5, Derrick White of the Boston Celtics injured his teeth in a collision. “I have spent like 2 hours, and then I had to go back for an hour.” White said. “And now, we got a temporary fix for tonight. Shout out to Boston Dental. Y’all are clutch.” While going after a loose ball, White was accidentally pushed face-first into the floor by Mavericks‘ center Dereck Lively II. White was alright, but had some blood and seemed a little dazed. White expressed no regrets following the Game 5 victory. “I’d lose all my teeth for a championship,” White said​.

Derrick White signed a $125 million contract extension following his NBA championship win. Despite all the good stuff, Derrick still hasn’t fixed his teeth, and it’s causing him some problems right now. “He has not gotten his teeth fixed, He has got like bonding on them to hold them in place, He is like, ‘I have to get through six games, please don’t hit me in the face” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said. “He was like, ‘I was gonna get it done, but stuff happened.’ And I was like, yeah, you partied that you signed a $125 million contract.”

“Then, he hoped a plane to go to London, off to France,” Tim MacMahon added. Can we really put all the blame on Derrick White? Once he had won a championship with the Celtics and signed a contract extension, he went on vacation. Out of the blue, he gets a call inviting him to join Team USA, and next thing you know, he’s on a plane to Abu Dhabi. Maybe he didn’t have time to fix his teeth then.

Moreover, his problem with the teeth has not affected his game that much. During the USA vs. South Sudan game, White played a significant role in shifting the momentum against South Sudan. In just 11 minutes off the bench, the veteran had 5 assists and 3 rebounds. Given all these factors, Derrick White certainly seems like a suitable candidate to replace Kawhi Leonard, don’t you think?

Opting for Derrick White over Jaylen Brown

We all know that three Boston players are playing for Team USA at the Paris Olympics. Jaylen Brown‘s absence from the team raised eyebrows, especially with Derrick White’s inclusion. But after five games played by the USA in the warm-up Olympic matches, the reason for the choice becomes clearer. White got All-Defense honors two seasons in a row. Brown has never made an All-Defense Team. The fact that White blocked a potential game-winner against South Sudan really shows why he’s on the team.

When it comes to injuries or fouls, the Americans choose White, a 6-4 guard, over Brown, who stands at 6-6, for defensive responsibilities. If circumstances change and it becomes evident that Durant is unable to participate in the Olympics, they may consider Brown as a substitute. However, this scenario is unlikely as Durant has rejoined the US team. Additionally, Team USA was seeking someone willing to sit on the bench without playing, and Derrick was the ideal candidate over Brown.

As of now, everything is going according to plan for Team USA considering the 5-0 winning streak in the pre-Olympics warm-up games. But how long they can continue this magnificent run is the question we need to ask. What do you think?