WHITE’S STORY: POINTS BUT NO ASSISTANCE
INDIANAPOLIS — Coby White the scorer was on full display in the Bulls’ 105-87 loss to the Pacers on Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Coby White the point guard is still a serious work in progress.
White, drafted by the Bulls with the No. 7 overall pick in June, got the starting nod against the Pacers and was turned loose for the first time this preseason, finishing with a team-high 24 points on 10-for-22 shooting. But one number that couldn’t be overlooked was his zero assists in 30 minutes.
It’s fine if the Bulls deem White a valuable scoring guard off the bench, but they’d said he was a point guard on draft day.
Coach Jim Boylen doesn’t want White labeled.
“Just ball — be a baller,” Boylen said. “We’re not going to define you in this way or that way, or you have to do this. Trust your instincts, compete at both ends of the floor, try and become a two-way player, and just grow. He’s done a good job of that.”
White wasn’t the only Bulls player given the green light to showcase his skills Friday, with Kris Dunn also starting.
While Boylen hasn’t officially announced Tomas Satoransky as the winner of the starting point guard spot for the regular season, it’s a done deal. Boylen held out his starting five Friday, meaning no Zach LaVine, Otto Porter Jr., Lauri Markkanen or Satoransky. Wendell Carter Jr. (bruised tailbone) is the anticipated fifth starter if he can heal soon.
“We’ve had an interesting schedule with a high intensity volume of guys in a short period of time,” Boylen said of the decision to sit the starters. “We felt this was the game to get some guys off their legs and have them sit this one out.”
Surprise, surprise
Although big man Luke Kornet had his struggles against the Pacers, he has found one big fan in Bulls camp, with Thaddeus Young praising his game as highly underrated.
“From playing against him in New York, I knew he was always a pick-and-pop shooter, but now that I’m on the team with him, I see that he has a little bit more to his game,” Young said. “He has the ability to put the ball on the floor and make plays. He has the ability to drive the basketball and get to the rim. He’s just a very active guy.
“But I think one of the biggest things is he’s a better rim protector than people think. He discourages a lot of guys from shooting shots, and he alters a lot of shots, and that’s going to be big for us.”
Thumbs up
LaVine continued doing what he could to build the team chemistry that has been on display since the players got together for voluntary workouts. He took members of the traveling party to see Will Smith’s “Gemini Man” on Thursday night.
Boylen, whose family lives in the Indianapolis area, didn’t go, but he was proud to see LaVine continue to take a leadership role.
“I sent Zach a text message saying that I appreciate the invite, but I’ve got to use this time, too,” Boylen said. “But he was great about it. Zach’s a very generous person. I said this before, Zach has a big heart. He’s a kind guy.’’ ✶