The myth of NBA “dad strength” grew a bit with the recent surge in play by Boston Celtics reserve guard Derrick White‘s recent spate of solid play, the former San Antonio Spur’s boost in output seeming to coincide with the birth of his and his wife’s first child, Hendrix.
Since sitting out a game in the East finals against the Miami Heat for the birth of his child, White has logged 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and a block per game while shooting a sizzling 42.9% from beyond the arc. The scoring and shooting in particular are both notable jumps over his career average of 11.5 points and 34.0% respectively.
Asked about his apparent dad strength after practice Saturday ahead of Game 2 of the NBA Finals series against the Golden State Warriors, the Colorado native replied “I don’t know what happened, whether it’s Hendrix or I was feeling good. I wasn’t making shots for a little bit there, but I kept staying confident.”
