Donovan plans to give White plenty of time to learn role
Bulls coach Billy Donovan was asked over the weekend if he's considered taking Coby White out of the starting lineup.
Donovan seemed reasonably certain in his answer.
"Yeah, I wouldn't say that I'm there," Donovan said. "I think Coby, he has competed really well, he has shot the ball very well. I think the ball in his hands, point guard position he is evolving, learning, growing so to speak."
Heading into Monday's action, White was averaging 15.2 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 turnovers, which isn't bad for a second-year player who has always been more of a scorer than lead guard. White turns 21 Feb. 16.
White is shooting 40 percent from the field overall and 36 percent from 3-point range. All of those numbers are an improvement from his rookie season. He finished with a flurry last year, but spent a long time trying to find his way in the NBA.
Also, the alternative would be to start Tomas Satoransky. The Bulls found out last year that's not a great fit. At 6-7, Satoransky doesn't match up defensively against most any NBA starting point guard, but he has played well in a backup role throughout his career. White is also a key piece to the Bulls' future, obviously.
"I've got to try and look at the combinations of players out there, I've got to look at other guys mixing and matching," Donovan said. "Is it a situation where maybe you bring Sato in a little bit earlier? You stagger those guys?
"But I'm not at a point where I just say, 'Hey, listen we're done with him.' I wouldn't do that. I think (White) is too important to our team. He does compete, I trust him in that area. I just think he's a guy that's 20 years old, and there's going to be some of these moments where he's going to be up and down."
White has also yet to miss a game in his NBA career, which on this Bulls team is a rare talent.