TORONTO – DeMar DeRozan is no stranger to hero ball.
Then again, there are few in the NBA better than the Bulls veteran.
In clutch time – statistically the last five minutes of a five-point game – DeRozan has excelled in that category long before becoming a Bull. But his breakdown in tighter situations is even more impressive.
In the last minute of a four-point game, this season alone DeRozan was 8-for-14 (57.1%) from the field. In the last 30 seconds in a three-point game, how about 5-for-10 for a league-best 20 points?
That’s why Thursday’s late-game comeback win in Toronto was almost expected.
Almost.
Down one with just over two minutes left, Coby White made a guest appearance, putting the Bulls up with a 13-foot pull-up jumper. After a Scottie Barnes turnover, DeRozan hit a vintage turnaround fadeaway, then a few seconds later drew the foul for two free throws.
Toronto dug in for one last stop with 39 seconds left and down four, but DeRozan wasn’t the only one wearing a cape.
White dribbled left in the paint, took off toward the rim, and hit an impressive floater to put the home team on ice.
And just like that, maybe Batman had found his Robin.
“I love that part of (White),” coach Billy Donovan said. “When you have a guy like DeMar who has been an incredible closer his entire career, he’s a unique and special guy because DeMar is all about winning. It’s not like, ‘Hey, this is my time, just stand over there.’ He’s really, really good about encouraging those guys to make plays. ‘Hey when I’m trapped it’s coming to you, be ready, shoot it, drive it.’ Having a veteran guy that’s closed as many games as DeMar has, he’s been a great example.
“But I want Coby to be bold, and tough, and courageous, and go for it in those moments. He needs to do that, and I have a lot of confidence in him that he can make those plays.”
Donovan’s not alone in that thought process, either.
After White made the floater, DeRozan was the first one to let him know the importance of it.
“He got hyped and said, ‘Way to be aggressive, boy!’ “ White said of the immediate exchange with DeRozan. “He wants us to have those moments and he doesn’t care … like he’s not one of those guys that’s like, ‘Give me the ball!’ He encourages us to be aggressive in those moments and supports us 100%.”
Which could be very important for this roster moving forward.
It’s easy to assume that Zach LaVine should follow DeRozan in the pecking order of late-game heroics, but that hasn’t necessarily worked out the last few seasons.
That trend has continued this year, with LaVine just 1-for-5 in four-point games and under a minute left. Just behind DeRozan’s 57.1% in those instances was actually Alex Caruso at 50% (4-for-8).
The shot in Toronto was White’s first, but as many strides as he’s made to his game already this year, the hope was it’s an upward trend.
“I could see it in his eyes that he was going for it,” Donovan said of White. “I like that, and I want him to do that.”
No worries. White won’t have to be told twice.
“I was just being aggressive,” White added. “I wanted to be aggressive, and I know it’s always a lot of pressure on DeMar in those moments so I was just trying to help anyway I can.
“As a player you want those moments.”