How will this upcoming season look like for Coby White?
As the 2022-23 season slates to begin on October 18th, there is a lot of uncertainty in the air for one of 2019’s former lottery draft pick. As the 7th overall pick that year, Chicago Bulls guard Coby White is set to enter his 4th year into the NBA and this will be his most pivotal season so far. This upcoming season is the last year of Coby’s rookie contract of 4 years / $24,131,515 and as of now the Bulls have yet to sign him to a extension.
With an already crowded backcourt consisting of All-Stars and newly acquainted free agent acquisitions, will Coby be able to show Chicago he is apart of they’re long term future?
Coming out of the University Of North Carolina, Coby White was considered to one of the best scoring guards in the draft class. During his lone year with the Tar Heels he was able to finish the season with averages of 16.4 points and 4.1assist per game earning himself All-ACC honors.
Chicago had high hopes selecting Coby 7th overall, and during his rookie season he showed flashes on what he is capable of. During an exhibition against the New York Knicks White set a Bulls franchise record for most three pointers made in a quarter by a rookie with seven.Overall his rookie season ended on a high note finishing the year averaging 13.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and earning a spot on the NBA’s All-Rookie second team.
Going into his sophomore season Coby needed to showcase that he could be a building block for the Bulls, but it was utterly consisted of ups and downs. Once again he showed promises of his scoring ability with a career high performance of 36 points against the Sacramento Kings. Even a couple of days later he dropped another career high but in assists with 13 against the Clippers. Nevertheless while seeing a boost in minutes played and starts per game White was only able to increase his scoring output by 2 points from his rookie season.
This minimal progression forced the Bulls to have to upgrade the following off-season by trading for Lonzo Ball, signing Alex Caruso, and drafting Ayo Dosunmu. With these additions White played majority of the season coming off the bench; he also experienced career lows with 12.7 points, 3 rebounds, 0.5 steals per game.
Going forward it’s most likely that White’s role with the Bulls is going to consist of him being a scoring punch coming of the bench; due to Lonzo Ball reclaiming the reigns of starting point guard once he returns from injury.
The question now remains what is Chicago to do with him? Coby is set to be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2023, meaning the Bulls can match any offer he receives. In the end it will be up to Coby to determine what his future will look like with the team this upcoming season.
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