NEWSLETTER
On Thursday, June 20th, the Chicago Bulls will go on the clock with the No. 7 overall pick for the third season in a row. What they do with that pick – whether it’s using it themselves or trading up/down – will go a long way towards defining the rest of this rebuild, and, indeed, how quickly it’ll all finally be over.
With that in mind, we’re going to take a look at some of the more realistic and recent draft prospects attached to the Bulls over the next two weeks, to see who might be a fit or not.
Previously: Cam Reddish
Next up: Coby White
Coby White enters this year’s draft as one of the most intriguing point guards available. With a loaded skill set and impressive scoring ability, the Bulls will be crossing their fingers in hopes that White will be there at No. 7. With a clear hole at PG on the roster, White has felt like the no-brainer choice since the end of the season.
Work Profile:
College Stat Line:
Strengths:
If you had to sum up Coby White in one word, it would be quickness. The guy offers sheer speed that can be hard to come by and his ability to control that speed and score feels second almost to none. In many ways, he resembles Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox, and it’s hard not to love that.
White can be trusted to put up a shot from anywhere on the court, whether it be off the dribble or in a catch and shoot situation. In terms of a pure scorer, he’s as strong as they come in this year’s draft. The 19-year-old also has pretty solid court vision, often finding the open man like a quarterback. White also has the ability to be quite the aggressor when driving into the hoop. He has a strong upper body and is able to push off defenders when making his way into the paint (Put it this way, I would not want to take a charge from a full-speed White).
Regardless, whether the ball is in his hands or he’s drawing defenders away from the ball, White plays a major role every time he is on the court.
Weaknesses:
White may have decent court vision, but he still has some way to go with his decision-making. Again, much like a quarterback, every now and then White can try and throw the ball inside too tight of a pocket, resulting in a sloppy turnover. Also, while White’s speed is his greatest strength, sometimes it can be his biggest weakness. Moving too fast can sometimes get in his own way, causing him to not fully assess the play or situation in front of him. A scoring-centric point guard, White will also have to learn to focus a bit more on the intangibles.
Current Bulls “Fit”
Coby White checks the first, and possibly most important, box for the Chicago Bulls: his position (point guard). He is a really exciting player that would bring a lot of intrigue come the 2019-20 season United Center opener. Thinking about his speed in transition with guys like Markkanen and LaVine right behind him could almost make you drool. In general, it’s hard for White to not fit in with a team in today’s NBA, let alone a young (hopefully energetic) team like the Bulls. However, we do need to keep in mind how scoring-heavy White’s game tends to be. His strong suit isn’t necessarily being a facilitator, even though he has shown glimpses of it at UNC. For White to be the ultimate fit on the Bulls, he would need to make sure to focus on his passing and decision-making. White can certainly play an unselfish style of basketball, but he will now need to learn to do that, while also not being the go-to guy.
Other Helpful Scouting Reports:
If You’re Looking for More:
The Latest Mock Drafts Have the Bulls Going in Three Very Different Directions https://t.co/TCDonLLBAd pic.twitter.com/qJY9WT3vaD
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) May 22, 2019
Most of the lottery level guys won't start working out until June… equally, there has been a pretty consistent rumor they promised to take Coby White at 7… so we'll see. https://t.co/0nnZXObez5
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) June 1, 2019
