Getty Head coach Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls will enter the 2023-24 season with their top trio of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic intact, though they are looking for better results. Joining them, barring some unforeseen change, will be Patrick Williams and Coby White, according to head coach Billy Donovan.
“Billy Donovan said ‘right now’ it’s a fair assessment that Coby White and Patrick Williams will start regular-season opener,” NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson posted on X on October 19. “This has been obvious throughout camp.”
There were multiple other candidates for the starting point guard spot including free agent signing Jevon Carter whom the team inked to a three-year, $19 million contract this offseason.
The Bulls open the regular season at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 25.
“I felt like the last year, there was so much changing position for him. I felt like he’d mature back there and he could handle it,” Donovan said of White, per Johnson. “We’ve been together awhile and we have a good relationship. He understands what I want. I’ve got a good understanding of him as player where he’s at his best.”
Coby lookin comfortable in the midrange 🔥
White didn’t do anything to hurt his chances this preseason.
He finished third on the team in scoring averaging 13.2 points this preseason, shooting 54.3% from the floor with 4.0 assists and 3.2 rebounds. White did not shoot the deep ball very well, knocking down just 31.8% of his 4.4 attempts per game. But he continued to show improvement as a lead guard, pushing the pace and finding his teammates offensively.
The fifth-year guard also finished the preseason with an identical defensive rating to another challenger for the starting job, Ayo Dosunmu, per NBA.com. Dosunmu opened last season as the starter but ceded the job to veterans Alex Caruso and Patrick Beverley by year’s end.
“If I do end up being that starting point guard, I’m not going to take it for granted like I always say,” White said, per Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic on October 17.
White received a larger contract than Carter and Dosunmu (three-year, $21 million) this summer.
The Bulls re-signed him on a three-year, $33 million contract. He was also one of five members of the Bulls’ presumed regular rotation to play in all five games this preseason, something Carter and Caruso – who figures to provide more value in his customary utility role than as a lead guard – did not do.
Bulls Sticking With Patrick Williams in Starting Lineup
While White did enough to bolster his case, Williams had a much more tumultuous preseason. He averaged 11.0 points, which would be a new career-high mark. But he shot just 38.5% from the field and 34.8% from beyond the arc.
He did have an explosive game in the loss to the Denver Nuggets on October 15. Williams – and White – scored 20 points in the 116-102 loss.
But the performance came with the Bulls’ top trio all sitting out.
Williams averaged 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists to 2.4 turnovers this preseason. His continued lack of consistent aggression led Donovan to pull Williams from the game after less than three minutes in favor of free agent pick-up Torrey Craig in the Bulls’ eventual loss to the Toronto Raptors on October 17.
“I just thought there were a lot of opportunities for him to get to the backboard and offensive rebound,” Donovan said, per Cody Westerlund of 670 The Score. “We had kind of talked about it, and I just didn’t like the way we kind of came out.”
Pat appreciated the challenge from Billy and said he responded well. He said he told Billy not to sugar coat things for him
“If I’m bullshitting you, take me out”
Williams did not score the ball well in the Bulls’ preseason finale versus the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He finished with 10 points on 25% shooting including 0-for-7 from beyond the arc.
But he also had five rebounds and got to the free throw line four times. Donovan was happier with the effort than in the previous outings. But he noted that Williams needs to do it on a more consistent basis. His sentiments were similar to what Williams said in evaluating his 2022-23 season.
Billy Donovan Leaves Room for Changes
Donovan’s wording on who would be in the Bulls’ starting lineup is notable. Adding the qualifier of “right now” is an acknowledgment that the evaluation process is still ongoing and that Williams and White’s spots are far from settled.
That much is obvious with Carter and Craig lurking in the wings should either one falter in the early going.
White already received his payday this offseason.
For Williams, though, a slow start could be severely detrimental as he heads to restricted free agency after this season. A former No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 draft, expectations remain high for Williams. As does the hope that he can take another step in his development. It is something this current Bulls core is believed to need to be more than a Play-In Team.