NBA
Bulls coach Billy Donovan believes they found their new starting point guard in Coby White
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated09 Oct 2023
It seems that Chicago just might of found their starting point guard for next season. Despite losing this Sunday’s preseason opener against the Bucks 105-102, Bulls’ Coby White was a force to be reckoned with as he found balance in his speed, distribution and precision throughout the match.
Even though this was just the first tune up match heading into the new 2023/24 campaign, coach Billy Donovan can’t help but look at the stats involving his 23-year-old guard. Coby produced team-highs of 14 points and 6 assists, and had the second-most rebounds with 6 during his 23 minutes on the floor.
“I liked the way he (Coby) played quite a bit,” his trainer recalled. “Starting the game, I liked the way we were playing. We were moving the ball, got downhill. We didn’t shoot it well to start (38% first quarter with a 30-21 lead). But Coby did some really really good things.”
Take a look at one of White’s best buckets, who already had 9 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists by halftime:
Coby White is a bucket.@CobyWhite | @NBCSChicago pic.twitter.com/B05LL3b5KB
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 8, 2023
“I noticed this summer when I went to see him, he physically looked different; the ball looked to be more on a string for him,” Donovan kept at it. “He had his legs under him. In college, he was probably so accustomed to using his speed to run by people, but now it’s the skill he’s put the work into. His ball handling and confidence with the ball has really really grown.”
The Chicago trainer now has four more preseason games remaining before choosing his final starting lineup, but there is no doubt that one of the biggest mysteries is who will replace Lonzo Ball this campaign, considering he’ll be out due to injury for the entire year.
You could argue that newcomer Jevon Carter is the perfect fit along with Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic and Patrick Williams, but White definitely proved he was also able to provide defensive presence during his time on court this Sunday.
Coach Donovan gave each point guard the opportunity to lead the offense this Sunday, but only White surpassed expectations
The Bulls trainer was open about giving each of his three point guards the opportunity to guide the team’s offensive plays against Milwaukee yesterday, but only one of them proved to follow Donovan’s vision.
“He’s (White) further along (than he was in the past) in those things like after a made basket, who just made a shot, who’s got a hot hand, who did we need to get involved, who hasn’t touched the ball in a few possessions, are we getting stagnant, do we need ball movement, here’s who we need to go to,” the coach said. “Those things he’s further along with. He can still get better, but he’s further along and sees a bigger picture.”
Coby and the Chicago camp know what needs to be worked on to become a title-contending team this upcoming 2023/24 season.
“The activity level for us in that first quarter was high,” White explained. “We were a top-five defense (last season) with dang near the same team and we added two elite defenders with Jevon and T(orrey) Craig. For us, it’s just being active like we were today. We’re not worried about it on that end because we’re all bought in.”
