Chicago Bulls Stay or Go: The case for retaining Coby White

Although the season ended with a thud, the Chicago Bulls have some positives to look at when it comes to their future.

One of them could, and should be, the retaining of guard Coby White. This summer, White is a restricted free agent and the Bulls will have priority to match any deal he receives while also having the potential to offer him their own, separate extension.

The way White got better over the course of this past season and ended up being a cornerstone to the team’s rotation was downright impressive.

Who would have thought a year and a half ago that White could end up being the Bulls’ long-term solution at point guard?

This is a guy who had seen his name in plenty of trade rumors over his young career, endured ups and downs in his development, seen his playing time drop drastically and yet, here we are talking about how he might need to be the Bulls’ offseason priority.

The way Coby White flipped the switch should tell the Chicago Bulls all they need to know about his future

Again, White hasn’t had it easy. He’s become a starter, then gone back to the bench. He’s gone through difficult stretches. He’s also spent a lot of time figuring out who he is as a player, going from a pure scorer’s mentality to becoming an all-around point guard this past season.

White has proven he is still, absolutely, a scorer. He can fill it up on any given night. But, where he really took steps is on the defensive end. The Bulls needed this roster to step up on defense, especially at the guard spots. Both White and Zach LaVine did so, and it was a pleasant surprise to see the effort from LaVine, especially.

But, White’s aggression and tenacity on the defensive side of the ball popped off the screen anytime I watched him this season. It was crystal clear. He was a different player.

Back to his scoring for a moment. In the month of March, alone, White made at least three from beyond the arc in eight separate games. And again, this is a guy coming off the bench and not playing starter’s minutes. He became the spark plug on both ends of the floor for the Bulls. In his last 10 games played, White shot over 40 percent from three.

He took the “contract year” label seriously, and only got better down the stretch, making things difficult on the Bulls.

Actually, it should have made things far easier and more clear for Chicago. The organization needs to see White as the future point guard, because it’s not going to be Patrick Beverley. It’s not going to be Ayo Dosunmu, who regressed in Year 2. And it definitely isn’t going to be Lonzo Ball.

Should White stay or go? It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?