Spurs assistant coach Will Hardy had high praise for second-year pro Derrick White last week after the club’s Summer League team completed its first full workout.
“I think Derrick’s growth from this time last year to now has been off the charts,” Hardy said. “His time spent in Austin this year was really good for his development. Obviously, he had some nice moments with us in San Antonio.
“We’re really excited about Derrick’s future. His development in one year has been awesome. Another great kid that works really hard and has some versatility to his game, for sure.”
White has shined at this week’s Utah Jazz Summer League in Salt Lake City, averaging 21.5 points and 7.5 assists in the Spurs’ first two games. He scored 18 of his 21 points in the first half and had nine assists in a 103-81 rout of the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night. White also finished with two steals and two blocks in 30 minutes.
White had 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists in a 92-76 loss to Utah in the Spurs’ Summer League opener on Monday, which was White’s 24th birthday.
“I’m just going out there, taking what the defense gives me, trying to make some plays, not trying to do anything outside of me,” White said after Tuesday night’s game. “So that game was a lot better than the first one. We’ve still got a lot of room for improvement throughout the summer, but we’re making the right strides.”
The Spurs play the Memphis Grizzlies in their Utah Summer League finale at 6 p.m. Thursday.
A 6-foot-4, 190-pound guard, White was selected by the Spurs with the 29th pick in last year’s NBA draft. He played at Division II Colorado-Colorado Springs for three seasons before completing his college career at Colorado in 2016-17.
White spent most of his rookie season with the Spurs’ G League team, averaging 20.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.33 steals, 1.17 blocks and 28.2 minutes in 24 games. The Spurs won the G League championship. White averaged 3.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and 8.2 minutes in 17 NBA games last season.
“I’ve spent a year in this system, and I know what the coaching staff is looking for,” White said, “so I definitely feel more comfortable than I was last year when I was just coming in trying to learn everything all at once.”
White proved to be a quick learner, impressing coaches with his ability to adapt to different situations at the NBA level.
“I learned how important defense is, especially in this organization,” White said. “I’ve got to take a lot of pride on that end if I want to get in the game. That’s something I’ve been focusing on – the size and the physicality of all the players. I had to spend a lot of time in the weight room and get a little bigger, get a little stronger.”
Asked last week what his mindset would be going into Summer League play, White said: “I just want to take my game to the next level. I’m going to go out there and be aggressive on both ends and try to impact the game in multiple ways.”
Guard Lonnie Walker IV, taken by the Silver and Black with the 18th pick in this year’s draft, had seven points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals in 24 minutes in his debut Monday night. He was given the night off Tuesday.
Forward Chimezie Metu, selected by the Spurs with the 49th pick last month, finished with 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting and seven rebounds in 18 minutes Tuesday night.
