The 2019-20 preseason will tip-off for the Chicago Bulls on Monday, October 7. Which Bulls player needs preseason the most?
For the Chicago Bulls, the 2019-20 preseason will be relatively important. Like a lot of teams nowadays, the roster looks very different than how it looked last year. That means the preseason will be a time for building on-the-court chemistry with game-speed reps.
Even though it’ll be interesting to see how all of the Bulls look in the preseason, I have my eye on one guy specifically: Coby White.
When you’re drafted as high as White was (seventh overall in the 2019 NBA Draft), there are heavy expectations placed on your shoulders. He’s supposed to be a guy that can make a positive impact on this team right away.
Overall, White had a really solid NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. He defended at a way higher level than many people (including myself) were expecting, he showcased some brilliant playmaking skills and he simply looked comfortable running an NBA offense.
Specifically, the area of Coby’s game that impressed me the most during Summer League was his pick-and-roll decision making. For a guy that can get downhill as fast as he can, he was super patient after getting a screen set for him. He often slowed down his dribble and used hesitation moves to either free himself up for a shot or give his teammates time to get open. It’ll be interesting to see if that same level of patience translates against real NBA defenders in the preseason – not Summer League guys.
The bad news: If you watched any of Coby’s Summer League games, you know shooting the three-ball was immensely difficult for him, which is why that’s what I’ll be paying the most attention to during the preseason.
White was a good 3-ball shooter in college (35.3 percent on 6.6 attempts per game), but the NBA 3-point line is considerably deeper. Was his poor shooting in Summer League a sign that his range just isn’t that deep or was it the pacing and spacing that he wasn’t used to?
Obviously, there’s no way to know the answer to that question right now, but preseason should give us more knowledge in terms of where his jumper is at. As long as it looks like he’s getting acclimated to NBA 3-point range, I’m good with it.
Along with monitoring his jumper during the preseason, I’ll also be looking closely at his handle. I wouldn’t say it was a problem during Summer League, but it definitely needs to improve if he wants to be an elite NBA point guard. He often dribbles the ball too high – something that results in more turnovers. His handle needs to be tighter and lower to the ground. I’m guessing this is an aspect of his game he’s been working on over the summer, so it’ll be nice to see it in action when the preseason starts.
Obviously, every Bull needs the preseason this year, but Coby needs it more than anyone else. He needs to show fans that his jumper and handle are NBA-ready and that all the good stuff he did in Summer League can be replicated against NBA defenses.