Chicago Bulls: Grading Coby White’s 2019 NBA Summer League

The 2019 NBA Summer League has wrapped up for the Chicago Bulls. Let’s dive into how the seventh overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Coby White, looked.

When the Chicago Bulls drafted Coby White with the seventh overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Bulls Nation was relatively hyped. White has incredible skills, an NBA-ready body and all the intangibles you could ever want. We got our first look at White going against NBA competition in the 2019 NBA Summer League. How did he do?

If you watched the Bulls’ Summer League team at all, you probably know that White was horrendous shooting the ball from deep during Summer League action. He went 3-for-30 from 3-point range. I mean… the numbers speak for themselves. That’s really bad.

What I love about White, though, is he didn’t stop shooting. It was no secret that he was struggling to find his shot, but he still averaged six 3-point attempts per game. He was shooting the ball confidently, in rhythm and both off the dribble and off of spot-ups.

I have no worries about White’s jumper. He shot it well in college, the ball looks good coming out of his hands and he believes in it, which is the most important thing. The college 3-point line is closer than the NBA 3-point line, and the floor spacing is different in college than it is in the NBA. It will take time, but that’s what the Summer League is all about. It’s a chance for guys to get a feel for the NBA game before the results actually start to matter.

If I was only grading Coby’s 2019 NBA Summer League based on his 3-point shot, he would probably get an F. I mean, you can’t shoot 3-for-30 and get higher than an F. But the good news about the sport of basketball is there are a lot of things that factor into how good a player is.

Overall, White actually had a really good Summer League. A lot of people questioned whether or not Coby could do anything that a point guard needs to do besides shoot the ball. There was skepticism surrounding his court vision and defense.

Coby silenced all of his doubters this summer. His defense was actually really impressive. Forget about his relatively short wingspan; he moves his legs well, he’s smart off the ball, he has active hands and he works incredibly hard. Watching White on defense was an absolute treat.

As far as playmaking, Coby was remarkable. It was clear from his college tapes that he was a skilled passer in transition, but his half-court playmaking was a bit of a mystery. In the 2019 NBA Summer League, he frequently made correct, advanced reads. He was good in the pick-and-roll, he made some amazing skip passes and he did a nice job of breaking down the defense and creating open shots for others. When Coby is surrounded by actual NBA players in the regular season, he should have a lot of success as a playmaker.

Yes, shooting was a struggle for Coby in the Summer League, but all in all, he was jaw-droppingly good. He has all the makings of a franchise point guard. Watching White this summer gave me a ton of confidence in him going forward. Isn’t that all we can ask for out of the Summer League?

Grade: B+