PHILADELPHIA — The rebounds are what’s getting Coby White.
Always the rebounds.
Twice in the last week, the Bulls guard has flirted with his first-career triple-double, only to show up with flowers and candy just to get the cold shoulder.
“The rebounds, man,” he said laughing.
In Monday’s win in Philadelphia, White finished with 24 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Last Thursday against the Heat, it was 26 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.
Twice in December games, White has grabbed nine rebounds.
That’s why he was laughing.
Over the last eight games, White averaged 26 points per game, 6.6 rebounds and 6.4 assists. That begged the question of can White’s next jump be that of a triple-double threat on a nightly basis?
“The rebounds would be tough because it’s just hard to track them,” White said of that idea. “The game I had 11 assists, I had like seven rebounds, and those two or three just didn’t come my way.”
Plus, there’s the “Vooch” factor.
Unlike what Luka Doncic or prime Russell Westbrook had alongside him, the Bulls have bigs that control the glass. If it’s not Nikola Vucevic, it’s Andre Drummond off the bench.
“Vooch prides himself on getting every rebound, so if it’s between me and him or someone else, I would never … I know how much pride he takes in getting 15 or 20 rebounds,” White said. “If a triple-double comes to me, it comes to me. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”
But what is coming to White is even more important than stuffed box scores. His recent rise is from another offseason in both the weightroom and the film room. Billy Donovan often talks about White’s willingness to be coached and to chase greatness. Well, the former North Carolina standout is gaining ground.
Yes, his three-pointer is lethal, but White is also becoming a serious problem for the opposition in pick-and-roll. Specifically, his understanding of getting a defender on his hip and going at his own pace to then get to whatever spot White wants to get to.
“I’ve been covering all of it by watching film and the strength in the weightroom, but it comes together with the repetition of all of it,” White said. “I’ve been watching a lot of different players. Even on nights off at home, just watching games, scrolling through Instagram or Twitter and seeing highlights.
“Doncic, (Jalen) Brunson does it a lot, Kyrie (Irving) is good at getting guys on his hip and getting to his spot. Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) does it a lot, lulls guys to sleep and then just knows when to attack, how to attack them.
“I feel like the league is full of really good guards that know how to do it, so I’m just trying to add that to my game. Especially on set-ups, the coaching staff has been on all of us about setting guys up, setting up our man and getting off the screen. It changes things so much if you set up your man and let him hit the screens.”
It’s that detailed explanation and willingness to put the work in that impresses White’s teammates. As Vucevic has said on many occasions, White is a first-player-into-the-gym type of guy, last player out. That’s why his jump this season hasn’t shocked Vucevic.
“I knew he was capable of doing that,” Vucevic said. “When I first got here (in 2021) when Zach (LaVine) was out, (White) and I played together a lot. Coby was really playing well. When it became me, DeMar (DeRozan) and Zach, he kind of had a lesser role and it was different for him. Now he’s in a situation where he can be himself, be aggressive, and he’s really taking advantage of it.
“He’s been very efficient, running the team, making the right plays, not turning the ball over. Huge steps.”
Now, about those rebounds.
