Coby White is the primary scorer on the Chicago Bulls. In his first few seasons, it appeared that White was trending toward that role. Then it looked like White was trending toward fighting for a spot in the NBA at large. Then, once more, White looked like he could be the primary scoring option on an NBA team.
Well, he's now getting that chance with the Chicago Bulls. White has played just seven games this season, but he has not been eased into Billy Donovan's rotation. Instead, White has led the team in shot attempts at 15.6 and in points per game at 22.1.
Josh Giddey may have the ball in his hands more than White, but the pecking order of this offense is starting to reveal itself, and Coby White finds himself at the top.
Coby White is the Bulls' number one scoring option
After years of playing a complementary role, White is now thrust into the spotlight. Granted, he was never ready to operate as the team's top option before this year, so it's not as though he's been waiting patiently for his chance. Instead, he's been slowly improving every year, and now, in year seven, he deserves that chance.
The next obstacle, of course, is playing that role well. Often, players are expected to play a bigger role when a star is no longer on the roster (in this case, Zach LaVine), only to struggle with added defensive attention and higher volume. White has passed that test in previous years — last year was his highest-scoring season and his most efficient shooting season. That's a good sign for what's in store in 2026.
Coby White is a perfect example of how development in the NBA can be wacky. He came on so strong, faded just as quickly, and then caught his second win in the NBA. There were plenty of opportunities for the Bulls to trade him, but they never did. Was that negligence or did the front office alway believe he'd come back around? Your answer to that depends on how pessimistic you are about Bulls basketball, but they did keep him, and that's the most important truth right now.
White taking his production up a notch isn't just a nice idea, though, it's a necessity for the Bulls, who are suddenly down to No. 24 in offensive rating, and last in the league over the past 10 games. They severely lack players who can create their own offense, and White (theoretically) can be that guy. He can't fix this team's offensive woes on his own, but he'll be a huge boon if he can consistently score over 20 a night. He'll get plenty of chances to, that's for sure.