Since Michael Jordan helped them win six championships in the 1990’s, the Chicago Bulls haven’t experienced a ton of success.
They haven’t made the NBA Finals since winning it all in 1998, plus they haven’t won a playoff series since 2015. Players like Jimmy Butler (now on the Miami Heat) and DeMar DeRozan have given Chicago a couple of stars to rely on, but overall organizational dysfunction has killed any hopes of long-term success.
The Bulls are off to another poor start this season at 8-14, put them in super-early danger of missing the postseason for a sixth time in seven seasons.
There is one player, former Tar Heel Coby White, who is giving Chicago fans a future to be excited about. White is averaging 15 points per game. one of four Bulls to do so, while his 4.2 assists per game are second on the team.
White is known particularly for his 3-point shooting abilities, as he leads Chicago in 3-pointers made per game (2.9) and second in percentage (40.3%).
He actually just broke a tie with former teammate Lauri Markkanen, setting a franchise record with three 3-pointers in nine consecutive games.
That’s now 9 straight games with at least three 3-pointers for Coby White, who shared the franchise record with Lauri Markkanen entering tonight. It’s also the longest current such streak in the NBA.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) December 7, 2023
White hasn’t been a full-time starter since the 2020-2021 campaign, but a knee injury to Lonzo Ball has forced him back into action. He’s taking advantage of the increase in playing time, averaging the most points per game since 2020-2021.
In his lone season at Carolina, White averaged 16.1 points per game and shot .353% from deep. This was good enough for Chicago to draft him seventh overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.
It’s encouraging for both White’s career – and the Bulls’ future – to see him producing at this level.
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