Last season, the Chicago Bulls found themselves struggling to balance an overcrowded backcourt. With Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Patrick Beverley all set to hit free agency, it was assumed that this problem would naturally resolve itself over the summer as Chicago was forced to face a few tough financial decisions.
That proved to not be the case, as both White and Dosunmu were brought back on three-year deals, and the loss of Beverley was quickly forgotten when the Bulls landed Jevon Carter in free agency. When you toss these three capable guards into the mix alongside Alex Caruso, deciding just who deserves to be the starting point guard next season looks like it’ll be a tough decision.
A decision that is far from decided, if the the front office’s comments at Media Day are to be believed. Arturas Karnisovas told reporters that the job will be decided at training camp, leaving things to be settled behind closed doors.
Bulls' starting point guard position will be a competition in training camp, Arturas Karnisovas says.
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) September 27, 2023
Jevon Carter, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu will be competing for the job.
After months of indecision, the Chicago Bulls seem to have finally announced a starting point guard for the 2023-24 season.
Fortunately, we were allowed to get a few eyes in on the action, as Bulls beat reporters descended onto the scene in Tennessee to witness the action unfold at training camp. It’s tough to say if Chicago has a frontrunner in mind just yet, but we do know that the job is anyone’s for the taking.
What I find particularly interesting, is that the Bulls have divided the guards into groups to allow them to showcase their floor general abilities. Thanks to the hard work of NBCSC’s K.C. Johnson, we do know that Coby has been taking the ball up the floor with the main squad rather than playing off ball, while the other contenders for the role have been playing with other units.
Day 2 practice summary:
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) October 5, 2023
—Everybody still healthy
—Counting film too, team went 2.5 hours
—No leader in PG battle. Coby White has been playing exclusively on ball.
—First live scrimmage was Weds night, their only day of double sessions
—Donovan said he’ll likely scrimmage Friday
With that in mind, it shouldn’t be a surprise to see Coby White listed as the “Prob-A-Bull” starter for tonight’s first game of preseason action against the Milwaukee Bucks.
BREAKING:
— ChicagoBullsCentral (@BullsCentraI) October 8, 2023
Coby White is listed as the “prob-a-bull” starter at point guard for the Chicago Bulls pic.twitter.com/fVzmsMsAoj
If White can continue building on the improved court vision and defensive abilities we saw from him last season, he may finally break into the role the Bulls envisioned for him when he was drafted 7th overall in 2019. His shooting should provide valuable spacing to allow Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan to operate. If he fails to impress, however, you can guarantee that Carter, Caruso, and Dosunmu will be breathing down his neck for a chance to prove themselves.