Karalis: A closer look at Derrick White's seven blocked shots in Utah

Blocking shots is hard, no matter how easy Derrick White makes it look. It’s tough for tall people who block shots for a living, never mind a guard of slight build. The recognition, the understanding of tendencies, and the timing necessary to block a shot aren’t always easy to nail down, so there are often fouls committed in the process of trying … or worse. 

Such is the price one pays to be a shot blocker.

But it’s worth the risk, because if a player can get the timing down, anticipate the play, and stay in control, there's a very good chance he’ll make plenty of highlight defensive plays. 

And no one has put all those tools together quite like White. 

“I think a couple of them came on-ball, couple of them came off-ball,” Joe Mazzulla told reporters after White blocked seven shots against the Jazz. “(In some lineups) he has to guard the other team's best player. So he got a couple on pick-and-rolls, on pull up threes, at the beginning of the game, when he's kind of roaming on guys that we could shift off of. He does a good job of coming in and knowing when to help and not.”

White got his first (of many) on Lauri Markkanen on an out-of-bounds play. Neemias Queta’s help was a big part of allowing White to get this block, because it stopped Markkanen cold in his tracks and let White anticipate the shot attempt. 

Markkanen tried his luck again, this time straight-up on White in transition. But White has an uncanny ability to jump and contest when he’s moving backwards. 

White's ability to jump while moving backwards is kind of fun. A lot of guys are kind of stuck in reverse in those plays. He did it again against Brice Sensabaugh

It's so easy to think "I've got this" in that situation, when in actually you don't, in fact, got this. White has a quick jump and quicker hands so he doesn't always meet these shots at the apex like a traditional shot blocker. These blocks from came much lower, often when the ball is still in the shooter's hands. 

In fact, he often blocks shots as a player is gathering. They look more like steals but because it's after the gather and on an upward motion, it counts as a blocked shot. 

Just because White doesn't often blocked shots at the apex, it doesn't mean he can't.