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Coby White was on a mission to keep the Chicago Bulls’ NBA Playoffs hopes alive. Everyone marveled at how he picked apart the Atlanta Hawks’ defense and even prevented some buckets from Trae Young. This notched him a feat that only Michael Jordan has been able to accomplish in the franchise’s history which made Zach LaVine quite proud of his teammate.
“COBY!!! Special performance @CobyWhite,” Zach LaVine wrote on X after the Bulls won over the Hawks.
The Bulls have not seen Zach LaVine in action since the 18th of January against the Toronto Raptors. He sprained his ankle which professionals eventually discovered to be a loose bone. It was recommended that he undergo season-ending surgery such that he can play with the Bulls at the start of the 2024-25 season. But, that clearly did not stop him from supporting his team at home.
The performance from Coby White that he saw has only been done twice in Bulls history. White notched 42 points, nine rebounds, and dropped six assists to join Michael Jordan as the only other player in the franchise to have netted a similar stat line. The fact that he accomplished this while going 15 for 21 on his field goal attempts and missing only one free throw out of 10 shots makes it all the more impressive.
White will have to maintain these types of performances if the Bulls want to secure a spot in the NBA Playoffs. Hopefully, other members of the squad are able to step up as well.
Bulls season so far
Coach Billy Donovan has struggled with the schemes and rotations that the Bulls are running because of injuries. This made them fall all the way to the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference with their NBA Playoffs hopes in jeopardy. They finished the season with only 39 wins while accruing 43 losses.
A big reason for the Bulls’ struggles was trying to find their constant identity on both sides of the floor. On offense, this squad only managed to average 112.3 points per contest which was ranked 22nd in the league. Their offensive rating of 114.9 was a little better but it did not move the needle because of their lackluster execution in keeping up their pace. The Bulls had a 96.3 pace which was the third-worst in the league.
To go deeper, it was the same story on defense as well. They had allowed 113.7 points on a nightly basis which was good for 16th in the league. This netted the Bulls a 116.3 defensive rating which sat at 21st in the league. There was not much that they could do when opponents were hammering them on all levels of scoring.
But, it looks like a switch might flip come the NBA Playoffs after this performance over the Hawks. They still have to defeat the Heat but good things are ahead of this squad.
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