At TD Garden, the chants of “MVP” are usually only for Jayson Tatum, the star player for the Boston Celtics. A while ago, Celtics fans sang a different song. They technically sang the same song, but it was meant for Tatum’s friend Derrick White.

White scored 30 points on Friday, December 8, when the Lakers beat the New York Knicks 133–123. Ten of his sixteen shots from the floor went in, and six of his ten 3-point attempts were made. He said that he could hear the Celtics fans chanting “MVP” when he went to the free-throw line, and he talked about how he felt about it.

If you ask me, I’m not the MVP.

This season, White has been a big deal for the Celtics. White has been a big reason why the Celtics have jumped out to a 16-5 record, which is the best in the Eastern Conference. He was put into the starting lineup after Boston traded for veteran guard Marcus Smart.

In 18 games this season, White has scored 15.4 points, given out 5.2 assists, and grabbed 3.8 rebounds. White scored 30 points, which was the most of any player in the win over the Knicks.

White isn’t as well-known on the Celtics as Tatum and Brown, but he’s having just as much of an effect as those two stars. Friday, as the 6-foot-4 guard stepped to the foul line, Celtics fans chanted “MVP” to show how much they liked him.

“It’s crazy,” he said after the game. “I’m always thankful for our fans because they are the best in the league.” It’s cool to hear, even if I’m not the MVP.

Is There a Case? White is the best player for Boston?

White doesn’t score as quickly as Tatum and Brown, but he does a lot of things that people don’t notice. White had the most blocks last year. This year, he’s making 47.8% of his shots from the floor. People notice that he’s a player who doesn’t care about being famous.

Even though people at TD Garden were praising White, Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis said he wasn’t given enough credit.

It’s getting more and more talked about, but Porzingis said, “I still think he’s very underrated.” “He has already put up some great stats, and they look great.” You don’t see all the steals, though, if you don’t watch the game. For example, he gets a steal when he comes back on defense after being out for a long time.

“He can change the game and the flow of things.” That’s something he does well. I believe that you cannot see if you do not watch the game. You can tell how good and important he is when you watch the game.

The big names are Tatum and Brown. They are the ones getting attention. Tatum has already said that he is “world-class” and “humble” as a basketball player.

That’s not White. The numbers don’t matter. He is good with the ball and gives out 1.8 assists per game. Aside from Al Horford’s 8-for-8 record at the foul line, White has the best free-throw percentage (87.5%) of any Celtic.

It’s the little things for White. He’s good at everything. He could hold everything together.