Chicago Bulls: 4 Takeaways from the win over the Cavaliers
Chicago Bulls Takeaway from the win: Coby White once again makes an impact in the starting five
Coby White was inserted into the starting five due to the combination of Sato missing the last game and at the same time, Zach LaVine missing his first game of what might be an extended absence.
White is now two for two in strong performances with the starting lineup since a stretch serving as the team’s sixth man. What is most important to take from this one, though, is that he was impactful even though his shot wasn’t falling.
Coming off a 27 point game on 8-17 shooting, one might expect White to come out scoring the ball in this one. That wasn’t the case. The second-year guard shot 0-3 in the first quarter but had three assists.
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By halftime, he was 0-5 with one point and four assists. He also had a turnover. His confidence did not waver, though. White went 2-5 in the second half with another five assists. That led to a final line of 8 points and 9 assists.
He shot 2-10, so one might see the box score and jump to the conclusion that he played a bad game. I’d strongly disagree with that and instead would argue he had a good game that was impressive to see from him at this point in his career.
He continued getting teammates involved, including a crucial late find of Lauri Markkanen on a huge bucket, despite not having the shooting touch on the night. Additionally, he was in great control when he was on the court.
That is something he needs to start doing consistently if he wants to be a starting point guard in the NBA for years to come. Half the battle for young point guards is controlling the game and putting their team in positions to succeed.
White once again showed glimpses that he could become that player one day. There’s hope among fans that the injury of LaVine could provide the opportunity White needs to step up and earn a bigger role on the team moving forward.