Derrick White is Probable, and the Celtics Can Exhale

The Boston Celtics can officially cancel the panic alarms. Derrick White is listed as probable for Tuesday's game with a hip issue, meaning the most reliable guy in their backcourt is likely suiting up.

A "probable" tag in the modern NBA is basically a doctor's note saying a player slept funny but will still log 32 minutes. For anyone sweating their fantasy lineups or looking at Tuesday's betting slate, White being on the floor completely changes the math for Boston's perimeter rotation.

We are talking about a guy who dropped 26 points, six boards, and three blocks in a Game 7 against the 76ers just a few months ago. You do not just replace that kind of two-way production with a guy off the end of the bench.

White is the ultimate glue guy, assuming your glue is made of military-grade adhesive and occasionally blocks centers at the rim. When he sits, the Celtics' defensive rating usually looks like a typo. When he plays, everything just clicks into place.

Expect him to be out there on Tuesday night. Just keep an eye on how he moves laterally in the first quarter, because a lingering hip issue is the exact kind of thing that can turn a lockdown defender into a traffic cone if it flares up again.