Chicago Bulls: 3 players with a lot to prove in 2020-21 regular season

1) Chicago Bulls with a lot to prove in regular season

Purely in terms of showing more versatility, maturity, and progression in his game this season, there might not be heavier expectations on the shoulders of any player in this Bulls young core than the second-year point guard Coby White. The third consecutive seventh overall NBA Draft pick for the Bulls on this list had a solid finish to his rookie campaign last season.

Capitalizing on the momentum that White built up to round out his rookie season will be a key task at hand for him. It does look like Donovan is giving him the keys to the offense as the starting point guard entering the 2020-21 regular season. With combo guard Tomas Satoransky out of the picture, this offense is White’s for the taking at just 20 years of age.

This former North Carolina Tar Heels 6-foot-5 floor general has a lot of twitchiness and overall shake in his game that can take his offensive potency to the next level this season.

During the shortened 2019-20 regular season, White played in all 65 games for the Bulls (just the final one of which he started in). 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.

And Basketball-Reference projects White to average 18.9 points per 36 minutes, 5.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.2 blocks, during the 2020-21 season. He’s projected to shoot an improved 41.4 percent from the field, 36.9 percent from beyond the arc, and 79.9 percent from the free-throw line.

Any significant level of improvement will definitely be welcome for White this season. He’s going to have a significantly elevated role in the starting five, and he can really breakout in the process.