Chicago Bulls rookie guard Coby White has been on fire of late, averaging 33.7 points (on 57.4 percent shooting), 5.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while also knocking down 6.0 3-pointers (wow!) per game on a 58.1 percent clip (wow-er!) over the last three games. Those are some historic numbers right there, so the big question is: why is he still coming off the bench for a 20-39 Bulls side?

The popular belief is that White should be starting by now, and that at this point in his young career, handing him the reins as a starting guard would provide a tremendous boost in his confidence. The talent is undeniably there for White, and being given the starting spot should only work to his advantage in terms of his growth and development, right?

Well, not exactly.

For starters, before this tremendous hot streak, White wasn't exactly tearing it up for the Bulls. As a matter of fact, his efficiency has been quite terrible. On the season, the 6-foot-4 guard is averaging 38.7 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from beyond the arc. That's not a great look for a high-volume shooter like White who still needs to improve his playmaking and defense as well, so at this point, there's no denying that he is still a work in progress in terms of catching up with the level of play in the NBA — his three-game streak notwithstanding.

Talking about this hot streak, let's not forget that he has done this while coming off the bench. The simple argument here is that if it ain't broke, why fix it? As part of the second unit, White is able to find his groove as the primary scoring option for a bench group that has few other threats.

Moreover, it's not like White is suffering from a lack of playing time. On the season, he's averaging a healthy 24.9 minutes off the bench. Over his last seven appearances, this number has skyrocketed to 31.8 minutes per contest, and the same can be said of his usage rate. The fact of the matter here is that even if he's not technically starting, he's still getting starter minutes and is finishing games alongside Zach LaVine as the backcourt pairing continues to develop.

It's pretty safe to say that Coby White is destined to be a starter somewhere down the road. Maybe this will happen as soon as his sophomore year next season, or maybe Jim Boylen will give in later this season. At this point, however, while it may not be the popular choice, perhaps it would be more prudent to keep the former UNC standout coming off the bench — a role he has absolutely thrived in of late.