Chicago Bulls: Coby White exemplifies hope for future

The Chicago Bulls drafted The University of North Carolina’s Coby White with the seventh pick in the NBA Draft Thursday night.  Here’s why they got it right.

The National Basketball Association kicked off the 2019 offseason with its annual draft on Thursday evening and the Chicago Bulls absolutely nailed it. Owning the No.7 pick in the draft, the Bulls selected point guard Coby White, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

There’s something about the Bulls and guards from North Carolina that resonates with me, though I can’t quite put my finger on it. All joking aside, White fills a major need for the Bulls as an aggressive, fast paced, and offensive-minded point guard who can score in bunches or set his teammates up for success.

John Paxson has a history of drafting good players from top ranked NCAA basketball programs and White fits the bill to a “T.” White can flat out play basketball and was rewarded by being named as an All ACC Second Team selection as a freshman. If that wasn’t impressive enough, White broke UNC’s all-time freshman scoring record which was held by none other than former Tar Heel and Chicago Bulls great, Michael Jordan.

How ironic that the player that broke Jordan’s scoring mark would end up being drafted by the Bulls. A sign of things to come? If anyone was going to come to Chicago and deal with the large shadow that Jordan has cast over the entire organization, it had to be someone already used to playing and thriving in his shadow, let alone all of the other great players that have come out of that program.

White doesn’t just fill a need. He fills a gaping hole for a franchise looking for someone to lead the Bulls back into contention. The core is now set. With White as the point guard of the future, the Bulls can focus on shoring up the depth chart by bringing in veteran players to help the young Bulls grow. So where do the Bulls go from here?

Kris Dunn‘s days in Chicago are all but numbered. He never developed into the player the Bulls thought they were getting when they sent all-star guard Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Zach LaVine, Dunn, and the rights to the No. 7 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Injuries, attitude, and a lack of chemistry with other core assets significantly contributed to his falling out with management and the coaching staff. The Bulls should look to packaging him in a trade for a second round draft pick.

To help the team win now and develop White, the Bulls should make a push at a veteran point guard who will push them and make them better. In the mean time, Bulls fans should celebrate and enjoy having Coby White as a part of this franchise moving forward. Paxson and Gar Forman stood pat and absolutely nailed this pick. White will not disappoint.

I can hear it now: “…at guard from North Carolina…”