The “Coby White Game’’ will have some traction in Bulls folklore.
It by no means stacks up to Michael Jordan’s “Flu Game’’ or Derrick Rose’s “Dunk on Dragic,’’ but it’s what this organization can at least embrace for today.
It’s something in a last few seasons of nothing.
The first-round pick [No. 7 overall] from the June draft, rewrote the franchise record book, hitting seven three-pointers in the fourth quarter on Tuesday, helping the Bulls beat a hapless New York Knicks team. Along the way, the 19-year-old also became the youngest player in NBA history to hit seven three-pointers in a game.
Definitely one of those “Remember when …’’ moments.
“I’ve never seen somebody hit seven threes in a quarter,’’ guard Zach LaVine said. “I’ve been telling you guys from the get-go Coby is special.’’
And needed.
Even with the win over the Knicks, the Bulls are 4-7 through the first 11 games of a schedule that was tailor-made for a quick start. More concerning, the combined record of the four teams they have beaten was just 13-30 (.232 winning percentage) entering Wednesday.
They have faced four teams with a record above .500 and went 0-4 while being outscored a combined 66 points (16.5 points per game).
This for a front office that had playoffs atop the list of goals for the 2019-20 campaign.
So yeah, White’s performance was welcomed and had some immediate staying power.
“I don’t look at it like maybe he had a good moment here and then two weeks later he had a good moment here,’’ coach Jim Boylen said of his rookie. “I see good moments in every game. I see growth in every game, whether it’s defensively or decision-making.
“That’s how I evaluate this team. He’s a 19-year-old player, playing in the NBA and he’s doing his best to help us win.’’
Big picture with White?
Unless the Bulls have plans to trade LaVine after this season, he’s likely stuck in a back-up combo-guard role.
LaVine is signed through 2021-22, guaranteed $19.5 million each season. Considering he’s still only 24 and can score 20 falling out of bed, it’s not a rough contract to move on from, and if this season is a fail, it has to be explored.
As far as a starting point guard spot for White, he has shown very little ability to run a team from that lead-guard spot. He’s a scorer first, being tutored on point guard play along the way.
Yes, the best point guards in the league are scorers first, but they can also put teammates in the right spot on the floor. James Harden, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic and Trae Young currently make up five of the top six scoring leaders. They also rank in the top 15 in assists, with Lillard the lowest at 6.6 assists per game.
In White’s world, passing is what you do when you failed in getting a shot off.
The Bulls are fine with that mentality for now, and they can actually point to a pretty good business model for White to try and follow. Oklahoma City had a combo guard that came off the bench his first three years in the league, and like White as a rookie, passing wasn’t exactly his passion.
Harden averaged 1.8 assists per game his rookie season, bumped it up 2.1 in Year 2, and got it up to 3.7 by his third year.
Is White even in the same area code as Harden? Heck no, but that doesn’t mean he can’t spend the next few years on the bench learning his craft as a point guard, while still providing the Bulls a much-needed scoring punch off the bench.
NOTE: Boylen ruled Otto Porter (left foot) out for Thursday’s game in Milwaukee, while LaVine (ankle) was probable.
