Younger players struggling No. 1: Coby White
As he’s about to miss a game due to injury for the first time in his NBA career to date, the second-year former North Carolina Tar Heels point guard Coby White is hitting a turning point this season. The 21-year-old North Carolina native White is missing the Bulls outing on March 29 against the Warriors due to a nagging neck injury (muscle spasms more specifically).
White had a very inconsistent season to date for the Bulls up to this point. He even lost his starting role with the Bulls post-All-Star Break to Sato. White’s counting stats, shooting percentages, and advanced metrics, look pretty similar to how they did during his rookie campaign as a whole.
In 44 games played so far this season, White has averaged 15.0 points per game, 4.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.2 blocks. And he’s shot 40.9 percent from the field, 35.1 percent from beyond the arc, and 89.5 percent from the free-throw line.
During his rookie season, White registered a -2.8 box plus/minus rating, -0.4 value over replacement player rating, .028 win shares per 48 minutes, and an 11.9 player efficiency rating.
Compare that to this season where White has registered a -3.4 box plus/minus rating, -0.5 value over replacement player rating, .041 win shares per 48 minutes, and an 11.5 player efficiency rating, and you see that White hasn’t made much progress thus far.