The Celtics are guaranteed to have at least one representative in the 2026 NBA All-Star Game after Jaylen Brown was voted an Eastern Conference starter.

Rick Carlisle believes Derrick White should join Brown in Los Angeles.

“Derrick White’s an All-Star,” the Pacers head coach said, unprompted, before Wednesday’s game at TD Garden. “He’s an All-Star player. The guy’s eighth in the league in blocked shots, and he’s such an important part of their team. Their team is playing very well.”

Brown agreed. Asked after Boston’s 119-104 win over Indiana about Carlisle’s comments, the Celtics star said his teammate deserves an All-Star nod because of White’s all-around impact.

“D-White has been a two-way player all year,” Brown said. “And I know we live in an era where that doesn’t get as much praise or respect, but that contributes to winning a lot. I think Derrick White has been playing at an All-Star level because he plays both sides of the ball. And that’s no disrespect to some of those other guys that are maybe in All-Star contention, but it’s a clear difference.

“I think Derrick is a first-team All-Defense type of (player), or maybe even Defensive Player of the Year, but on top of that, he contributes on offense, and that takes a lot more energy, a lot more effort to do night to night. And he’s healthy, he’s available. “So you’ve got to give that respect to Derrick. It’s not an easy job to do and play both ends of the ball at a high level for the duration of the season and be available for a majority of the games. That’s extremely difficult. He’s been doing that for us all (season), and that has helped us be a second seed.”

White, who’s never made an All-Star Game, looks like a long shot after ranking 20th among Eastern Conference players in ASG voting, which combines the results of fan, player and media ballots. Brown finished fifth, earning him the first All-Star start of his career alongside fellow East honorees Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tyrese Maxey, Cade Cunningham and Jalen Brunson.

All-Star reserves are selected by NBA coaches, however, and several have called White one of the league’s most underrated players this season.

The ninth-year pro is the only NBA player with at least 50 steals and 60 blocks during the 2025-26 campaign, and he’s on pace for career highs in points (17.6 per game), assists (5.4) and rebounds (4.6).

White began the season with a prolonged shooting slump, though, and those issues recently resurfaced. After notching double-digit points in 36 of his first 38 games, he scored eight against Miami last Thursday, seven against Atlanta on Saturday and a season-low four in Monday’s one-point road loss to Detroit, the latter on 1-of-11 shooting (0-for-6 from 3-point range). Against the Pacers, he shot 4-for-10 to finish with 13 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Overall, this has been the worst shooting season of White’s nine-year NBA career, due in part to the increased attention he’s receiving and the quality of looks he’s getting in a Jayson Tatum-less Celtics offense. His 52.6% true shooting percentage, down eight percentage points from 2024-25, is his lowest as a pro. His 39.1% field-goal percentage is on track to be the worst of his career, and his 32.3% success rate on 3-pointers would be second-worst.

And yet, White has routinely made winning plays for a Boston team that sits second in the East standings at 27-16 and owns the NBA’s third-best net rating. The Celtics have been outscored with White on the court in just 11 of his 42 games this season, and his total plus/minus is tied for seventh-best in the NBA, trailing only Cunningham, Nikola Jokic and four members of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“He’s not defined by shooting efficiency,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said after Wednesday’s game. “To me, that’s a bonus, and that’s obviously something that makes us different. But at the end of the day, (it’s) his pick-and-roll passing … his defensive versatility, his ability to sprint and get back tips, which has helped us get back into games at times. I think it’s hard to recognize all the other stuff, and it’s just easy to notice the shooting inefficiencies, because it’s right there.”

“Regardless of what the stats look like,” Brown said, “Derrick White is an All-Star.”

Brown (five times) and the rehabbing Tatum (six) are the only current Celtics with All-Star selections on their resumes. This year’s event is scheduled for Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome.