Coby White’s shot selection is incentive based.
He revealed that after Saturday’s impressive 124-118 win over New Orleans in which the Bulls point guard scored 28 of his season-high 31 points in the second-half comeback.
But it’s not money or some other monetary motivation.
No, it’s much simpler than that.
“If I don’t shoot it I get cussed out,” White said. “So, I might as well shoot it.”
Shoot it he did, and not one coach or teammate was about to throw a foul word in his direction.
With Zach LaVine again sidelined with a sore right foot, White picked up the scoring slack, and then some, not only with the scoring, but added nine rebounds and six assists, helping the Bulls (7-14) to just their first two-game winning streak of the season.
No wonder the United Center was chanting, “Coby … Coby … “
“I heard it. I’m super appreciative of it,” White Said. “We just got to build on this. We’ve just got to compete.”
And soon. The front office has to make some hard decisions about this roster by January. White can help that process one way or the other.
“Is he the purest of point guards? No. Is he the purest of two guards? No. But he’s a basketball player and he’s a competitor and he wants to win,’’ coach Billy Donovan said of White. “That’s really important to him. I really admire that about him.”
Donovan also admires the Pelicans’ Zion Williamson.
While the Bulls were welcoming back DeMar DeRozan from a sore ankle, they were also looking to slow down the muscle of the New Orleans engine.
Williamson came into the showdown with the Bulls scoring at least 25 points or more in six of his last seven games. It just so happened that the Pelicans went 6-1 in that span. No wonder Donovan had his concerns about the fourth-year player.
“His game is what it is,” Donovan said of Williamson. “The more experienced young players get, the better off they are. He looks a lot more seasoned than he was a couple years ago.’’
There wasn’t a whole lot of seasoning being shown in that opening stanza, as Williamson was held to just one point, and the Bulls maintained the 32-29 lead going into the second.
It didn’t help that Williamson finally woke up, scoring 10 in the quarter, as the Bulls limped into the halftime locker room – literally.
After playing just over 12 minutes in that first half, Alex Caruso was ruled out for the rest of the game with a sore left toe.
No worries. The White takeover was just getting started.
It began to turn in the third when White hit two free throws and then 30 seconds later connected on a 26-footer. The green light was one.
White had 16 in the third, hitting on 4-of-5 threes. He also set a franchise record in doing so, becoming the first Bulls player to hit at least three three-pointers in eight straight games.
But maybe his best play of the night – or at least the one that showed how committed he is to turn the slow start around – was White taking a charge from Williamson near the end of that quarter. That was 285 pounds – on a good day – into White’s chest.
Sure, White had to squat a few times trying to get his wind in the aftermath, but a temporary setback on his night. That was evident by his fourth quarter, in which White continued his scoring binge, but also made three beautiful passes, including an alley-oop to Patrick Williams that all but iced the game with 20.1 seconds left.
“I know Pat is so athletic, if I throw it anywhere near the rim he’ll get it,” White added.