Chicago Bulls: Where Coby White can be a true offensive threat

A major question mark remains for Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan heading into next season as to what role point guard Coby White will have with the team. There’s no easy answer to this question either. White played well down the stretch as the Bulls starting point guard but wasn’t good for the entire season.

It’s fair to assume that the Bulls will want to use White in more of a backup point guard/volume scoring guard role off the bench moving forward. White’s solid play as the starting point guard down the stretch during the regular season at least provides some confidence that he can fill that role effectively heading into next season.

White seems to be making a habit out of putting together some inconsistent performances throughout the early and middle stages of regular seasons and then managing to put it all together down the stretch. He really caught fire in the final month and a half of his rookie campaign after an up and down start to the 2019-20 regular season.

As a whole, White’s counting stats, shooting percentages, and advanced metrics didn’t improve much (if at all) this season compared to his rookie campaign.

It is pretty crazy to see the difference in White’s pre-All-Star Break stats over the last two seasons compared to post. He averages roughly 3.5 more points per game, one more assist, and 0.5 more steals post-All-Star Break than he has pre. He also shoots much better from all areas of the floor, turns the ball over less frequently, and has a better offensive and defensive rating post-All-Star Break.

Diving into the offensive trends for Chicago Bulls’ G Coby White

These trends in White’s numbers as his first two seasons in the NBA moved along are something he’ll have to figure out, and Donovan will have to work with him on. But there is another emerging trend that is noteworthy for White heading into his third year in the NBA.

He is much more effective shooting from the corners from beyond the arc compared to above the break. He shot well over 45 percent from deep from the corners, compared to just under 34 percent from above the break.

It is also worth noting that White shot two percent better from beyond the arc on catch-and-shoot tries than he did off-the-dribble. When White is forced to create his own offense quickly (in less than four dribbles), he tends to shoot well below 35 percent from deep.

Also, one trend that White should note moving forward is how much more effective he can be when he’s confident running the ball in transition. He’s lightning-quick off-the-dribble, and extremely hard to defend when driving the lane in unsettled/transition offense.

When he’s scoring at least 1.75 points per game in fast-break, that’s the only time where he’s also drawing at least 2.5 personal fouls per game in his career thus far. White was an extremely effective free-throw shooter this season, hitting at a clip of over 90 percent at the line.

What’s become clear from the statistical trends from White in his second year in the NBA is the fact that he can be solid in certain areas shooting from deep, and he is effective when in rhythm running in transition. We know from his tape at UNC that White was potent as a ball-handler in transition, but this new emergence of his catch-and-shoot ability is something important to utilize from here on out.

Donovan should utilize White more often shooting from the corners, in catch-and-shoot situations, and when running in transition. White made his corner three’s at a clip almost 10 percent higher than his rookie season during the 2020-21 campaign. But he only took two percent more attempts from that area of the floor compared to his rookie season.

Let White take more corner three’s next season, and he could be more effective altogether. The Bulls also ran at a slightly higher pace this season than they did last, under former head coach Jim Boylen. White can be useful in a faster-pace offense.

Where the Bulls should be utilizing White less is as a primary distributor in unsettled offensive situations. Opponents had roughly a dozen points per game this season off of White turnovers, which is way too many.

Utilize White in a point guard role if he’s going to be a situational playmaker off the bench. The inconsistencies might continue for the Bulls starting backcourt if White continues to be in the starting unit at the one.

There’s a lot of value that White can serve for the Bulls. They don’t really have a microwave scorer on their current roster that can come off the bench in a combo guard role like White otherwise.

White averaged 15.1 points per game, 4.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.2 blocks, and 2.3 turnovers. And he shot 41.6 percent from the field, 35.9 percent from beyond the arc, and 90.1 percent from the charity stripe this season. He’ll look to improve some of his efficiency stats heading into next season.