White’s big move could keep Bulls on same course
In the 11th game of Coby White's NBA career, he unleashed one of the greatest 3-point flurries the league has ever seen.
First, he went 7 for 8 from long range in the fourth quarter of a win over the Knicks. Two days later, he went 5 for 8 in the first half at Milwaukee.
It added up to 12 of 16 from 3-point range over three quarters. Considering the record for most 3s in a single game is 14 by Golden State's Klay Thompson (at the United Center in 2018), it was quite an introduction.
White's had some ups and downs since the early days of the 2019-20 season. His second year, when he started at point guard for the most part, was pretty good. The next two seasons weren't as successful in a bench role.
This year he's among the leaders for the NBA's Most Improved Player Award, and White brought a blast from the past Tuesday against Minnesota by knocking down 7 of 9 3-pointers in the second half of the Bulls' overtime victory. White went 1 for 7 from the field before halftime and scored 30 of his 33 points in the second half.
“That first half every shot I took I really felt like it was good, like it was going in,” White said after the game. “It was coming off my hand right, I was focused. I was locked in and they just didn’t go in. That second half, I just tried to stay disciplined with my shot and it started to fall.”
Some have suggested the Bulls' season outlook changed with the news of Zach LaVine opting for season-ending foot surgery. In reality, not much is different.
The Bulls may have a low ceiling this year — as in, win a play-in game or two — but White's development has been a massive dose of good news. The real improvement began when LaVine first left the lineup on Nov. 30, when the lifeless Bulls were 5-14.
Since that date, White is averaging 22.8 points, 5.8 assists and 5.8 rebounds. He's shot 48.2% overall, 40.7% from 3, and the Bulls have gone 19-13.
“First 15 games, I couldn't throw the ball in the ocean,” White said. “You've got to just stay positive, talk to your mind. I felt like I wasn't playing bad at the beginning of the year, I just wasn't making shots. Now I'm making shots.”
The NBA trade deadline arrives at 2 p.m. Thursday. Any sort of teardown by the Bulls seems unlikely. The team is in an odd spot. This was supposed to be the year DeMar DeRozan passed the torch to LaVine as the Bulls' No. 1 option. Instead, he's been sharing the load with White, who has clearly been the team's best player.
White has likely benefited from having a veteran mentor like DeRozan, so the Bulls will probably head into the summer and see if they can re-sign the 34-year-old as a free agent.
There's been talk of the Bulls seeking draft picks for backup center Andre Drummond. The Bulls could certainly use some draft assets, since they still owe their 2025 first-rounder to San Antonio from the DeRozan sign-and-trade, and the Bulls have no second-round picks until 2028.
It's also accurate to say the Bulls would not have beaten Minnesota without Drummond. He started and played 35 minutes, allowing the Bulls to match up with the Timberwolves' twin centers lineup of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns.
“There’s nothing I can do about it,” Drummond said about trade possibilities. “If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, great. Whatever jersey I put on, Chicago Bulls is who I play for now. Either way, I’m just going to come in and do my job on a daily basis.”
There were a couple of minor deals on Wednesday, most notably point guard Monte Morris moving from Detroit to Minnesota, while Boston added Memphis big man Xavier Tillman.
Twitter: @McGrawDHSports