Earlier this offseason, we wrote that Josh Giddey could be a surprise All-Star in 2026. That is, of course, if he re-signs with the Chicago Bulls. It's widely assumed he'll be back in the Windy City, but until then, there's an asterisk next to Giddey's name as he and the Bulls navigate his restricted free agency.
Should he return, which appears more than likely, he stands a good chance of being named an All-Star for the first time. Giddey averaged 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game a season ago—numbers matched by only two players, Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic.
However, his numbers were even more eye-popping following the All-Star break after he took on an expanded role. In his final 19 appearances of the season, Giddey averaged 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 9.3 assists per contest. Giddey’s stats are hard to ignore, and with the Eastern Conference looking weaker, he’s got a strong case for his first All-Star appearance.
Coby White is arguably the Bulls most likely All-Star
Yet, Giddey might not be Chicago's best All-Star bet. That honor would go to the perpetually overlooked Coby White. The 6-foot-5 combo guard averaged a career-high 20.4 points per game a season ago, and like Giddey, White was even better after the All-Star break. Following the midseason festivities, which coincided with Bulls' leading scorer Zach LaVine's departure, White totaled 24.5 points per game while slashing an efficient 49.4/36.8/91.2.
Starting next season without LaVine in Chicago's lineup, as the de facto primary option, it wouldn't be unforeseen for White to clear 25 points per game. He had already established himself as an efficient scorer, but in the latter half of last season, he reinforced that by raising his true shooting percentage while also increasing his field-goal attempts per game.
Moreover, White displayed a more well-rounded offensive approach as the Bulls' No.1 option. He increased his driving frequency from 11.7 to 14.3 drives per game from pre- to post-All-Star break. Most importantly, White's field goal percentages on drives skyrocketed despite the increase in volume, from 50.0 to 56.9 percent. About a third of White's points following the All-Star break came via drives.
Not only did he up his driving efficiency following the All-Star game, but his pull-up field goal percentage saw a nearly 10 percent increase. Again, the rise in pull-up field goal percentage came despite an uptick in pull-up attempts.
White is an excellent scorer, and that’s without even touching on his transition game, where he led the league in points per contest last season. If White keeps progressing as a scorer while expanding his playmaking or defensive impact, he’ll be an All-Star lock. It'll be all but impossible to keep a player averaging 25-5-5 out of the All-Star game, especially in the East.