With Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan on the roster, the Chicago Bulls have two of the better shot-creators in the NBA. Both guys have made multiple All-Star teams and come up clutch when the Bulls need them most at the end of games. But they won’t be around forever in Chicago.
LaVine is injured and has missed significant time this season, and DeRozan is in the final year of his contract. And in the absence of LaVine, fifth-year point guard Coby White has stepped up in a big way. But while White has been a revelation this season, LaVine and DeRozan are still getting most of the end-game looks.
After the Bulls’ tough 115-113 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, DeRozan was asked if White should be getting the ball more at the end of games. He said yes.
“Yeah, no doubt. Without a doubt,” DeRozan said via Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune. “If he’s got it rolling, or even if he looks at me and says he wants it, it wouldn’t be no problem. Take it. We all- That’s how much trust we got in him. I think, even tonight, coach was calling a play, and Cob wanted to run something else. And coach said, ‘You got to say so, too, if you want to run that.’ He kind of changed the play, and Cob came down, was aggressive, and made something happen out of it. But that’s the trust we got in him. Whatever it is. If it’s take the last shot or run the play, whatever it may be.”
DeMar DeRozan on whether Coby White should get the ball in his hands for crucial end-of-game shots: “No doubt. If he looked at me and said he wanted it, no problem.”
Noted that Coby requested for Donovan to change one of the plays that was drawn up for the end of the game. pic.twitter.com/1lCbtazxXD
— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) January 23, 2024
DeRozan got the final shot in the Bulls’ loss to the Suns, but he and the Bulls are clearly confident in White.
