White seems to be getting closer to finding his rhythm after missing almost five months, and his performance in Orlando was not only eye-opening on the offensive side of the ball, but also on defense.
There is suddenly some life to Coby White’s game.
And it’s being welcomed with open arms for a Bulls roster that needed some offensive punch off the bench.
Again playing the role of instant offense with that second unit, White took the floor against the Magic on Friday, and turned a lethargic first quarter into the visiting team imposing its will on Orlando thanks to 14 quick points on 6-for-7 shooting, as well as a plus-16 in the plus/minus category by the half.
Coach Billy Donovan’s patience has obviously been paying off.
“I think he’s a pretty tough kid mentally,’’ Donovan said. “He’s not the type of guy that’s looking for all types of excuses or things to blame. He’s never been that way. Every time you talk to him it’s always what he’s got to do to be better, and him finding a rhythm, and him not thinking, and him going out there and getting comfortable with these guys, and it’s all on him to do those things.’’
White had offseason left shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum, missing all of the summer workouts and fall camp.
He was finally cleared on the West Coast trip, and made his debut against the Lakers. It was a rough re-entry and was for the first three games, as Donovan was balancing trying to win games, but also get White minutes to find a rhythm.
In the win over New York last week, White finally broke out with 14 points, and while he had some rough patches in the losses to Indiana and Houston, the Magic helped jumpstart a few things.
“He’s been the same guy like he was last year,’’ Donovan said. “He gets disappointed in himself, no question. Coming into this situation he knew there were going to be some challenges because he was prepared for that.’’
What was also impressive in the win over Orlando was White’s defense. He showed some physicality and also played with more energy than he had.
Call that the Alex Caruso/Lonzo Ball effect.
White said last week that he had plenty of time to study both teammates throughout his time on the shelf, and picked up on how much they both try and get away with on the defensive end from a physicality standpoint, and how they both know how to toe that line before the whistle comes.
White now seems to be practicing what he was learning.
“It’s about being more physical and then seeing what I can get away with,’’ White said. “What’s special about AC [Caruso] is he’s really physical but he knows what he can get away with. He’s been in the league for a minute now, so he knows what to do, what not to do.’’
White finished out the win over the Magic with 20 points.
Calling his shot
Donovan has praised Nikola Vucevic over and over again the last few days, as the big man was making his emotional return to his former Orlando franchise.
One point Donovan made was that he knew players like Vucevic were coming almost a decade ago.
“I said this like 10 years ago, not that I was in the NBA then, but it was ‘stretch-four, stretch-four, stretch-four,’ and I said it’s going to start going to stretch-fives,’’ Donovan said. “[Vucevic] is really one of those first kind of guys that comes out there and shoots the ball well. You can talk about he’s not a great rim protector, he’s OK in pick-and-roll coverage – he’s worked really hard on defense and gotten better, but he opens up a lot of things for you offensively with the way he plays.’’