DeMar DeRozan’s daughter is officially out for Friday’s game against the Heat

The family of NBA players aren’t usually listed on the injury report. But DeMar DeRozan’s daughter is no ordinary cheering section.

Free throw defense is an advantage that has yet to be consistently unlocked. Fans have tried giant heads, vertical balloons and all sorts of organized chants. But for as long as basketball has been played nothing has been proven to work every time. But maybe we finally have an answer.

In Wednesday night’s comeback, Play-In Tournament win for the Chicago Bulls, DeMar DeRozan’s 10-year-old daughter Diar could be heard audibly shrieking from beneath the basket whenever the Toronto Raptors were attempting a free throw. They finished 18-of-36 from the line in a four-point loss.

Will Diar DeRozan be available for DeMar DeRozan and the Bulls’ next game?

Next up for the Chicago Bulls are the Miami Heat, Friday night, a winner-take-all game to close out the NBA Play-In Tournament. The winner gets the No. 8 seed and a first-round matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks. The loser gets to start the offseason early. Obviously, the Bulls might like to park Diar below the basket again but DeMar has already said she won’t be there.

The game is in Miami and getting there would require Diar to miss a day of school, which is apparently off the table for her parents. However, the Bulls could probably really use her in Miami. The Heat shot 83.1 percent from the free throw line this season, the second-best mark in the league. They hit 16-of-20 (80 percent) in their Tuesday night loss to the Hawks.

Check out The Step Back for more news, analysis, opinion and unique basketball coverage. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our daily email newsletter, The Whiteboard.