SAN ANTONIO – It was time for some real talk with Coby White.
A chat that was months overdue.
That’s how a planned off-day story for a Sunday suddenly turned first person.
I have been as critical of White and his development as any of the writers covering the Bulls. And he didn’t need me to admit that to him because he already knew. I didn’t see him as a point guard on draft night back in 2019, I didn’t see him as a starter by the time the 2022-23 season started, and I didn’t see him in the team’s plans moving forward this past summer when he was a restricted free agent.
But there he was on Friday after the win over the Spurs, knees wrapped in ice, smile on his face, still a Bull. Maybe he’s not a pure point guard, and maybe he’s not the typical shooting guard, but he’s a basketball player, now proving me wrong.
“That’s what you have to do, just go through it,” White said when I asked him about the scrutiny – mine included. “Put your head down and work, control what you can control, and try and get through it.
“Yeah, and it’s very hard, but I’m a big believer in my faith. I feel there’s a plan for everybody. That’s what I leaned on when I was going through it.”
Then he threw a bit of a wrinkle in the conversation.
Many professional athletes love reminding the media that our opinions matter very little to them. The media takes the stance that our opinions shouldn’t matter to them.
It’s a song and dance we both go through.
White kicked down that wall, however.
“Oh, I pay attention to it,” White said. “I know what you said, others have said. I feel like I’ve got thick skin, but the main thing for me is I wanted to pay attention to it just so I can feel it. Feel it for me, and then to get through it. I’m the type of dude that’s like, ‘OK, he said this about me. Oh, that guy said that about me.’ … But you know what, sometimes people on the internet or the media, you guys, you speak the truth. There were times I would look at it and say, ‘I got to get better at this, he’s right. I’ve got to fix this.’ I never tried to shy away from any of it because that’s not my personality. You have to look at it all head on, take it for what it is, not let it define you, but use it.”
It’s being used.
White will enter Monday’s game against Milwaukee breaking a franchise record for most three pointers in a 10-game span with 47, he’s sitting fifth in the NBA in three-pointers made with 68, and he’s shooting a career-high 41.7% from long range.
Even more impressive is he’s emerged as a leader with a voice that even the veteran players hear and respect. A voice that White admittedly comes across like a “(bleep)head” at times.
So how did the jump happen for White.
“He’s one of the hardest workers on the team,” veteran Nikola Vucevic said of White. “When you work as much as he does it’s going to pay off.”
And White’s not even close to being a finished product in his estimation because that work is not going to slow down anytime soon.
The No. 0’s journey could be interesting to watch.
Look, the media is in the business of casting opinions. Social media loves pointing out the gotcha moments when those opinions are wrong, but many times those opinions are made based on the information being provided at the time.
To White’s credit he is now changing what’s being provided, and he’s been doing that on a nightly basis for the Bulls over the last month.
“We’re all on a different journey,” White added. “It’s kind of crazy, but that’s what it is, just our own journey.”
A chat long overdue, indeed.
