NEWSLETTER
Sign a $36 million contract, buy a 7,000 square-foot house in Lincoln Park, and drop 50 in a Pro-Am. I think it’s safe to say Coby White is having a way better summer than us!
The 23-year-old guard went from an uncertain future to one of the Chicago Bulls’ most important players. The 2022-23 season was easily the best of White’s four-year NBA career, as he made significant strides on the defensive end and showed real improvement in his overall command of the game. He’s now expected to walk into next season with a major role in the rotation, potentially even vying for the starting point guard slot when training camp rolls around.
To be sure, the Bulls did sign Jevon Carter to a three-year deal this summer and re-sign Ayo Dosunmu. But neither those two nor White is considered a clear-cut lead ball-handler, which seemingly opens to door for a friendly training camp battle in October. If White looks anything like he did in his most recent Pro-AM run, however, that battle may come to an end quickly.
Scott from the popular social media account BallisLife shared footage of White at the Sonny Parker Unity Classic on the South Side of Chicago. And to say Coby White looked in his element would be an understatement.
According to BallisLife, White finished with somewhere between 49-51 points on the night, and it’s not hard to see why! White’s improved handles were on full display, as he relentlessly attacked the opposing defense off the dribble. We also saw how his threat to slice and dice his way to the rim helped him generate even more space to get his jumper off. You sure love to see that from someone who has shot 37.9 percent from downtown over his past three seasons!
I know I shouldn’t overreact to some Pro-AM footage. Heck, Dalen Terry just looked electric in his run at the Chi-League! But it’s hard not to get the tiniest bit excited about what we’re seeing from White as of late. Scoring 50 points aside, just the way he’s moving with the basketball is unlike anything we’ve seen from him before. He’s clearly becoming far more confident in creating for himself in the halfcourt, as getting to the rim and the charity stripe should be a greater part of his game.
Anyway, I’ll stop myself there. Let’s wait and see if Coby White is looking this dangerous in the preseason before we start to get too hyped. And, even if he is, I’ll likely still prefer a world where he starts the season off the bench. When we consider how many ways he can score the basketball, I like the idea of giving him full control in the second unit. His catch-and-shoot ability can be an asset next to the “Big 3,” but they may take the ball out of his hands more than we’d like.
We talked more about that dilemma here:
