As the Chicago Bulls see their postseason hopes slipping away, Coby White’s play has been an intriguing development. What does it mean going forward?
White was once touted as the Bulls point guard of the future but his sophomore campaign has left much to be desired as any progress he’s made in the way of being a better playmaker has been undercut by his perceived regression as a scorer. That’s an odd thing to type about a second-year player whose numbers are up virtually across the board.
Despite White already logging as many 20-point games this season (with 10 games left) as he did all of last season there are notable differences; including that his three-point percentage and usage rate are both down.
But with Zach LaVine sidelined over the past eight games going through health and safety protocols, White has stepped up.
Despite a clunker against the Knicks, he’s averaging 18.3 points and 6.5 assists per game with LaVine out. Both numbers beat his season averages (14.7 PPG and 4.6 APG) as well as those from his previous stint in the starting lineup (16.1 PPG and 5.0 APG).
White has dealt with a lot of change this season; going from bench player as a rookie to starting point guard, being sent to the bench for poor play, new teammates, and being made a starter again with LaVine out. That would be a lot to throw at a veteran player, let alone one in his second year playing for a new coach.
Given his individual success, and particularly with how the team had looked more competitive in their previous losses and even stole a game against the Miami Heat, the question that has popped up again is whether or not he and LaVine can co-exist.
Part of the problem is that both are score-first players that would greatly benefit from having someone else be the key decision-maker in crunch time.
Enter Nikola Vucevic. Many (mostly trolls) will point to the offense looking better without LaVine playing hero ball, but as the Bulls have played more through Vucevic, they’ve gotten better results on the offensive end.
Likewise, not expending so much energy getting back after empty possessions means they’ve had more to expend on defense.
But the White-LaVine dynamic is so polarizing because they essentially play the same role. LaVine is a primary scorer and White seems like one in the making; if he can become more consistent, that is.
This is a time when the veteran LaVine can take a note from his young teammate. Deference is often a four-letter word in sports. If you view yourself as the alpha on a team, why would you defer? Self-awareness will be key though as LaVine must realize, as White has, that Vucevic is the best playmaker in this offense.
It’s not because of flashy passes. Rather, the collapsing effect Vuc has on defenses is pivotal to this offense that has trouble getting into sets sometimes and can have trouble controlling the tempo.
Coby White’s improved play pivotal for the Chicago Bulls
A simplified offense is the name of the game and White should be Donovan’s poster child when addressing this with LaVine.
After coming in with a plan to throw everything on White’s plate, the coaching staff scaled his role back to let him focus on what made him important to this team in the first place. The results were mixed but the approach might be part of what’s helped spark his better play recently.
For those suggesting White’s play makes them comfortable with moving on from LaVine remember this: the Bulls have an 11-15 record when White scores 20-plus points in the last two years. Of those 11 wins, only two have come without LaVine. Additionally, only a couple of them came where he wasn’t the leading scorer.
This isn’t to bash on White. Just to point out that any ascension he makes over this final stretch should be viewed as a win for the team and a potential boost for LaVine if White continues to show added playmaking ability.
He still represents the most sensible option going forward. But at worst he’s raising his stock for a potential offseason trade. That’s the best-case scenario with how this season has gone.