Chicago Bulls rookie guard Coby White dropped 27 points during Tuesday's win over the New York Knicks, even hitting seven threes in the fourth quarter of the game. Maybe most integral to his success? Teammate Kris Dunn, who has been checking White during Bulls practice and making him earn his role that he currently fills for Chicago

“He had a tough couple of weeks before training camp,” Dunn told Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. “Most people, when I get at them and I see fear, they’re done. They’re outta there.”

Despite being dogged by Dunn defensively even before his rookie campaign began, White has been able to ramp up his abilities as the season gets underway.

Chosen with the seventh overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of the University of North Carolina, White spent just a single season in Chapel Hill, averaging 16.1 points per game. He'll spend the vast majority of his first professional basketball season as a 19-year-old, not turning 20 until the day of the NBA All-Star Game.

Already, the 6-foot-4 rookie has a pair of 25-point outings to his name. Through his first 11 games, he has averaged 12.5 points per contest and shown himself to be in the early conversation for the Rookie of the Year honor. His role with the Bulls is likely only to grow as the season progresses.

“I tell him every time ‘I’m going to try to push you to be Rookie of the Year,'” Dunn said. “If I can do that, that’d be an honor for me. He’s going to be special for us.”