Ever since Zach LaVine went down with an injury, the Chicago Bulls have been soaring. They are 5-13 with LaVine in the lineup and 10-6 without him – a run that’s pushed them all the way up to 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings. But now, they have some decisions to make about their future.
When the team was struggling, it seemed pretty clear that they should tear things down and rebuild. A small stint of success shouldn’t change that overall mindset. Unless they re-sign him, DeMar DeRozan should get traded, and the same goes for players like Nikola Vucevic, Alex Caruso, and Andre Drummond, all of whom are veterans.
But then there’s Coby White. The fifth-year point guard has been amazing for the Bulls, leading the way for their recent surge. However, should he be the centerpiece of their impending rebuild?
White was already one of the faces of a rebuilding-era Bulls squad. He and Lauri Markkanen were the centerpieces of a failed, albeit rushed, Bulls rebuild.
That said, the 23-year-old has taken major steps forward this year. He’s averaging 17.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists while shooting 44.2% from the field and 39.1% from behind the three-point line.
Unfortunately, it feels as though the Bulls could run into a Dejounte Murray-San Antonio Spurs situation with White. He’ll be good enough to lead the way, but the team won’t be good enough by the time he’s ready to compete.
So, while the Bulls shouldn’t trade him with the wave of moves they’re likely slated to make this year, it seems a bit unreasonable to think they’ll be ready to push for the playoffs within the first few years of their rebuild.
They should have trusted the process and allowed White to keep leading his last rebuild in Chicago, but now, it’s too late. He should be the face of the new one, but only for a brief period of time.
