1) Chicago Bulls set to get more playing time
The play of the former North Carolina Tar Heels 6-foot-5 and 195 pound point guard Coby White down the stretch last season was nothing short of special. An up and down start to his rookie campaign leveled out, especially in a brief stint of games after the All-Star Break. If White is able to keep his game trending up at the outset of this regular season, then he will continue to get a bigger and bigger role, and more and more usage.
White brought mixed results to the table in his first preseason game with the Bulls, in their 21-point loss to the Rockets back on Dec. 11. He had some turnover problems at times, but shot pretty efficient from the field and from downtown. Those were areas of his game where he was really trending up at the end of his rookie season.
During the shortened 2019-20 regular season, White played in all 65 games with the Bulls (just one of which he started in, which was the final game). And he averaged 13.2 points per game, 3.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.1 blocks, and 1.7 turnovers. White shot 39.4 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from beyond the arc, and 79.1 percent from the free-throw line.
White played in 25.8 minutes per game last season, which was a larger role considering he came off the bench for most of his rookie campaign. As his game continued to improve as his rookie season waned, his playing time went up too. Since he’s likely to assume the starting point guard role over Tomas Satoransky at the outset of the 2020-21 regular season, White’s playing time should only continue to go up from here.