Paul George has only been with the Boston Celtics for a few weeks, but he has already figured out what makes Derrick White such a valuable teammate. After Boston held off the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night, the veteran forward pointed to White’s steady demeanor as the trait that stands out the most.

“D-White just has kind of an unwavering confidence. He just has a way of just being even keel,” George said, via Daniel Donabedian. “Obviously, he’s great down the stretch. He’s a great defender, shot blocker, rebounder at the guard spot. But again, with him, with Payton, those guys just having kind of an even-keel mentality. Never get too high, never get too low, never really rattled. And when you’re on the floor, you feel that.”

Paul George on playing alongside Derrick White so far:

“D-White just has kind of an unwavering confidence.”

“He’s obviously been a champion, so he's tested. He's battle-tested.”

Q via @NoaDalzell pic.twitter.com/dc9RVPmZcP

— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) November 5, 2026

George also noted that White has been through it all before.

“He’s obviously been a champion, so he’s tested. He’s battle-tested,” George said. “But to have someone that never gets too high, it’s a level where I think when you’re on the floor, you feel that.”

That composure came in handy against Milwaukee. The Celtics built a 22-point lead in the first half, only for the Bucks to storm back and grab their first lead of the night at 92-91 midway through the fourth quarter. With the game tied at 97 and just over four minutes left, Boston ripped off seven straight points and never looked back, closing out a 109-102 victory at TD Garden.

Article Continues Below

White was right in the middle of it. He scored 24 points on 7-of-18 shooting and went a perfect 9-of-9 from the free-throw line, while adding seven assists, four rebounds and two blocks. George led the way with 25 points, and Payton Pritchard chipped in 10 points and five assists. Jayson Tatum sat out the game for rest.

White, who won a title with Boston in 2024, has quickly become a key piece next to George, whom the Celtics acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers in the offseason blockbuster that sent Jaylen Brown the other way. George made a strong first impression, pouring in 38 points in the season opener against the Detroit Pistons.

The win improved the Celtics to 6-2 on the season. Boston will look to keep it going when it visits the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.