When it’s all said and done, Coby White might prove to be more of a sixth man off the bench in the mold of Lou Williams and Jamal Crawford than a true point guard, but the Chicago Bulls head coach is at least giving him an opportunity to grow at the position.
After the Bulls’ lopsided 124-104 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on opening night on Wednesday and White’s less-than-stellar performance, Donovan spoke candidly about his young point guard’s struggles.
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Donovan Talks About White’s Learning Curve
So far during the preseason and now into the regular season, Donovan has been transparent with the media and his players.
After Wednesday’s loss, Donovan delivered a critique that was pretty revealing about White’s performance and his development as a true point guard.
Donovan told the media the following:
As I was trying to explain to him during the course of the game, we’re coming down the floor and guys don’t know necessarily what we’re in at that moment in time even though we’re trying to play fast. I think that’s part of his learning curve.
That’s a pretty serious issue.
White is either not communicating with his teammates on the floor, indecisive, or a little of both. In any case, it has the offense out of sync. Some may say the offense wasn’t the major issue on Wednesday, and they would be correct. However, what is or isn’t done on one end of the floor can affect what happens on the other.
I’m not saying White’s inability to run the offense is the reason the Bulls looked so bad on defense, but it certainly couldn’t have helped.
The Likely Conclusion of This Experiment
White deserves a chance to work out the kinks, but truthfully, I’d be shocked if he ever shows the desired promise and development as a true point guard. White is a scorer and an explosive one at that. Perhaps the only thing Jim Boylen did correctly was put him in that role.
This is probably going to end with White heading back to the bench to play a sixth-man role. Tomas Satoransky will probably become the starting point guard again. White will initially be on the floor with Otto Porter Jr., Chandler Hutchinson, Thaddeus Young, and Daniel Gafford.
That has the potential to be a strong second unit.
How Long Will Donovan Stick With White at PG?
The question is how long will Donovan give White to work on becoming a true point guard? That’s unclear, but during a short season, the Bulls don’t have forever if they plan on getting something out of this year besides more experience for a young nucleus that is tired of losing.
At the most, Donovan should stick with White as the point guard for 10 games. If he hasn’t shown some marked improvement from a decision-making standpoint, it may be time to pull the proverbial plug.
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Billy Donovan Offers Revealing Take of Coby White’s Play