When the Chicago Bulls slipped to the No. 7 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, most analysts pegged them to select point guard Coby White out of North Carolina.
The franchise had grown more and more dissatisfied with Kris Dunn, who had failed to make a substantial leap in his second season in Chicago and even lost the starting job to undrafted guard Ryan Arcidiacono. With head coach Jim Boylen finally changing his offensive philosophy to play more downhill, White–the fastest player in the draft–looked to be the perfect selection to take up the mantle.
However, there are a number of current factors that will make White's rookie season very fascinating to watch. For starters, the Bulls now have four “point guard” types after signing Tomas Satoransky and bringing back Arcidiacono on a three-year deal.
Secondly, White is more of a scoring, ball-dominant point guard whose style could clash with Zach LaVine. How will White get enough touches to improve his game while still allowing LaVine and Lauri Markkanen to flow within the offense?
On paper, the Bulls have the kind of talent to compete for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. But there are also question marks as to whether or not their young players will show enough maturation. These questions can be applied to White as well.
As Bulls fans anticipate a new season, here are three bold predictions for Coby White:
3. Combo guard
It is very possible that White will not even be the starting point guard. Although he had been drafted to push Dunn for the job, there is a good chance that neither of them start at the point after the Bulls agreed to terms with Satoransky.
Boylen could be intrigued by a big lineup of Satoransky, LaVine, Otto Porter Jr., Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. That kind of rotation has size, speed and floor spacing, which is exactly what this Bulls team was initially designed for heading into last season.
Of course, White has very good size too. But as of now, the Bulls have sheer depth at point guard. They might be better off utilizing White as a combo guard.
White shot 35 percent from beyond the arc last season, but 38 percent from deep in conference play. He is as proficient in catch-and-shoot situations as he is at creating his own shot off the dribble. This would make him an ideal candidate to be a combo guard.
White can spell LaVine of minutes at the two, or come in for Satoransky and provide instant energy off the bench with his pace and ability to get to the foul line. He will have to work on his off-ball movement and spacing, but his shooting proficiency and the makeup of Chicago's roster make him a likely candidate to see minutes at both guard spots.
2. Coby White will shoot 40 percent from three
Remember, White was even better in expanding range as UNC moved into conference play, and nearly shot 40 percent from deep in one of the best–if not the best–conference in college basketball.
He is a fantastic ball handler in the pick-and-roll, with the ability to squeeze between the help defender and get to the rim. This might make NBA defenses more keen to go under screens and force White to take jump shots, but he has shown how comfortable he is firing away from the perimeter.
In fact, White is very similar to guards like Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum in using his quickness to expose the defense while also having the handle to create space for himself.
Of course, none of this is necessarily suggestive that White will actually be an efficient shooter, even if he gets decent volume. But the combination of his skill set in addition to the kind of floor spacing the Bulls will ideally have makes him a good candidate to get a number of great looks as a three-point shooter.
1. Playoff starter
Coby White may not be in the starting rotation at the beginning of the year, but the guess here is that he will be the starting point guard next April.
When the Bulls acquired Otto Porter and began to play at a faster tempo at the end of the year, they had one of the highest offensive ratings in the league. So the suggestion is that White would make them that much more dangerous in transition given his speed and slashing ability.
The Bulls still need Satoransky to play a lot of minutes–he averaged 5.0 assists to 1.5 turnovers last season–and White will need to grow as a distributor in his own right, but his tantalizing combination of speed and size might make him too tough to keep on the bench if the Bulls make a run to the playoffs in a weaker Eastern Conference.
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