Chicago Bulls: Can Coby White be the best PG from the 2019 NBA Draft?

Chicago Bulls point guard Coby White was widely thought of as the third-best point guard in the 2019 NBA Draft. Could he wind up being the best, though?

There were three elite point guards in the 2019 NBA Draft: Ja Morant, Darius Garland and Coby White. After those three, the talent at the point guard position dramatically dropped off.

The order of the top-3 point guards was widely agreed on. Ja Morant was clearly the top PG prospect. Darius Garland was second. Coby White was third. Sure, there were some people that had those three ranked differently, but the majority of fans and mock drafts thought the order was clear.

Just because Morant and Garland were drafted ahead of White, though, doesn’t mean it’s written in stone that they’ll be the better players. We’ve seen this happen in the past. For example, let’s take a trip back to 2009 when one of the best point guards of all time (Stephen Curry) was drafted after Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn.

I’m not suggesting that Coby White is going to be the next Steph Curry – that would be ridiculous – but there is definitely a chance that Coby could turn into the best point guard from this draft.

Draft position means next to nothing. What’s more important is being drafted into the right situation for the players’ individual development and growth. It’s hard to imagine a much better situation for a point guard to jump into right now than the Chicago Bulls – especially a point guard like Coby White.

White will be able to play on or off the ball next to Zach LaVine and Otto Porter Jr., and he’ll also make things easier for Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr.

Darius Garland, on the other hand, is going into a situation on a Cleveland team that drafted a point guard last year (Collin Sexton) and doesn’t have many other pieces to build around.

I still think the Cavs made the right move by drafting Garland. His ceiling is sky-high and he was the best player available. But if he continues to have injury issues, or if the fit next to Sexton isn’t great, Garland’s career could end up being slightly disappointing.

Morant, who was clearly the best point guard in the draft, is heading into a wonderful situation in Memphis. He has two great big men that he can play off of in Brandon Clarke and Jaren Jackson Jr., and he’ll get the keys to the offense right away. But still, anything can happen. If his slight frame becomes a problem, or if his jumper doesn’t develop, he’ll be a limited player.

Of the three top point guards from the 2019 NBA Draft, Coby has the best NBA body (6-foot-5, 191 pounds), which could end up turning him into the best defender.

I would still bet on Morant to have the best career out of the three aforementioned point guards. He’s incredible. But it’s impossible to know how these dudes will develop as they age, and as the rosters change around them.

Don’t be surprised if White ends up being the best point guard from the 2019 NBA Draft. It seems unrealistic now, but it’s definitely in the cards.