Derrick White took a page out of Fred VanVleet’s book on Monday night.
When the Toronto Raptors won the NBA championship in 2019, he stepped up big in The Finals. The series prior, VanVleet welcomed his second child. So, when he outperformed expectations in The Finals, people began to credit his “dad strength.” White channeled that same strength in Game 4 against the Miami Heat.
White missed Game 3 of the series due to the birth of his first child, Hendrix James White. So, when DPOY Marcus Smart was ruled out with an ankle sprain in Game 4, expectations for White were raised.