Chicago Bulls fans have high expectations for their new point guard, Coby White. Here’s one big thing he needs to avoid in his rookie season.
When the Chicago Bulls drafted Coby White with the seventh overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, they made it clear to the fans that the franchise needed a fresh face at the point guard position. Kris Dunn simply wasn’t getting the job done. If the front office had confidence that Dunn would end up being the guy, they likely would’ve gone with a guy like Jaxson Hayes at pick no. 7 – not White.
Drafting White wasn’t the only thing the Bulls did to improve the quality of play at the point guard position. They also acquired Tomas Satoransky in July. Now, Coby will have far less pressure than he would’ve had if he was expected to be the starter from day one. He’ll probably be playing most of his minutes against other teams’ second units. It’s the safe, albeit boring, option for how to handle White’s rookie season.
I’m of the camp that believes White should be thrown into the fire on day one and learn from his mistakes as he goes, but it doesn’t look like that’s how the Bulls will handle the situation. I get it. Satoransky is a better player today than White is, and the Bulls are trying to make the playoffs.
I think Coby White is the type of player that will excel right away in the NBA. He has a good feel for the game, he’s an underrated defender and passer and he can knock down shots from anywhere. There is one thing I’m worried about with White, though.
For months each year before the draft, NBA fans are comparing players to each other. That’s just how it goes. Now that the draft is over, though, the comparing needs to slow down a little. Fans and the media will continue to do it, but White needs to ignore it. If he starts thinking things like, “I need to match Darius Garland’s scoring” or “Ja Morant is getting way more Rookie of the Year buzz than me,” things could go downhill in a hurry.
That’s what Coby needs to avoid.
Every situation is different. Morant and Garland will likely be bigger parts of their teams’ offenses in the 2019-20 season than White will be because the Grizzlies and Cavs both have fewer quality scoring options than the Bulls do.
Another player that White needs to avoid comparing himself to is Jaxson Hayes. There’s a world where White is coming off the bench for the whole year (and maybe struggling a bit), and Hayes is catching lobs and swatting shots down in New Orleans. A lot of Bulls fans wanted Hayes over White in the draft, so there could be some angry fans in Chicago if Hayes outplays White in 2019-20. If that happens, White needs to just keep his head down, keep grinding and ignore the talk.
Coby is in a good position heading into the 2019-20 season. He has a ton of good scorers around him, he has a veteran point guard he can learn from and he has a coach that’s dedicated to making sure he succeeds in the NBA. As long as he avoids the comparison trap, he’ll be in good shape going forward.