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This could be a big season for the Chicago Bulls when it comes to fifth-year guard Coby White.
Coming off a season in which he proved his mettle despite having a down year statistically, White is looking primed to have a bounceback year in that area too.
“Coby White went head-to-head with Jabari Parker in the Pro-Am Championship game Monday night,” wrote Rick Tarsitano of WGN on August 15. “The Bulls sharpshooter followed up a near 50-point performance with 41 in the title game, but it wasn’t enough to power Team Succezz past Team Irvin as Kenwood coach Mike Irvin’s squad held on to win 107-103.”
The article highlighted that the young guard “shines” as the event he was attending – the inaugural Sonny Parker Unity Classic hosted by The Ace Movement – helped build up the community.
“The Ace Movement or ‘Athletes For Competitive Equity’ is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting financially disadvantaged youth basketball programs,” Tarsitano explained.
Parker, a Chicago native, played for the Bulls in 2018-19 and is the son of the event’s namesake.
He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and had stints with the Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings, and Washington Wizards after one year in college at Duke. Parker signed a one-year, $2 million contract to play for FC Barcelona in La Liga ACB next season.
Coby White’s Continued Improvement
White, 23, averaged 9.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists last season while shooting 37.2% from beyond the arc which was a step back from his career-high 38.5% mark from 2021-22 but still represented the second-best mark of his career. More importantly, he improved his ball handling and decision-making.
He credited his marked improvement to being healthy last offseason for the first time in his career. And there are those in and close to the organization who still hold him in high regard, as evidenced by his three-year, $33 million contract he received this offseason.
“Coby has come a long way,” an anonymous staffer said, per Keith Smith of Spotrac on July 14. “We think he could win Sixth Man of the Year. He’s been that good as a bench scorer.”
Head coach Billy Donovan is among those who have praised White’s progress too.
“I think Coby White‘s gonna have a monster year,” said NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson on the “Bulls Talk Podcast” on August 4. “There’s just something about the way he’s trending, the way they…so quickly moved to reward what they see in his potential and his work ethic.”
Coby White Still Working to Improve
The No. 7 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, White entered the league with expectations. He has survived injuries, a total overhaul of the front office that drafted him, and the coaching staff that was tied to his development.
He remains focused on getting better.
“Continue to polish my overall game, continue to get better at ball-handling-wise, trying to get to the free throw line a little bit more playing and pick-and-roll, playing in the paint, playing off two feet,” White said on Youtube’s “Scoop B Selects” with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson in a video from July 25. “Really just polish my overall game, continue to get better in that.”
White averaged 13.6 points on 64.2% true shooting and shot 44.2% from beyond the arc with 4.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game over the final 15 regular-season contests.
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