Coby White develops a playmaking acumen — and it comes at the perfect time for the Chicago Bulls’ postseason push

LOS ANGELES — Coby White has quietly become one of the most important Chicago Bulls players with the ball in his hands.

The reserve guard has oscillated from shooting guard to point guard throughout his career with the Bulls. But this season has seen White finally develop equal confidence making reads as he drives to the rim and shoots 3-pointers.

White’s facilitating production has exploded in the final stretch, climbing to 4.2 assists per game in March after averaging fewer than two assists in the first three months of the season.

“Over the course of the season, I think I earned my coach’s trust with the ball in my hands and pick-and-rolls,” White said. “I give a lot of credit to him for giving me the opportunity to play with the ball in my hands.”

Developing decision-making has been a focal point for White. He isn’t quite a point guard a shooting guard, instead operating in a middle zone as he balances long-range shots with an improved ability to cut to the rim and spray passes to his teammates.

White’s shooting always has been a touch streaky, but these new aspects of his game have stayed consistent even on an off night from 3-point range. He went 0-for-3 from long range Monday and 3-for-8 overall in a 124-112 loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles. The Bulls entered Tuesday in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors and three ahead of the Washington Wizards.

“He’s been very decisive,” guard Zach LaVine said. “We all know how good he can shoot the ball, but making the reads, hitting the pocket, hitting the crosscourt pass with a low man — I don’t think it’s talked about enough how much of a challenge he’s been taking up.”

When White first landed on the Bulls roster as a 19-year-old first-round draft pick in 2019, he was immediately met with a bombardment of skepticism over whether he could play as a true point guard. He was thrust into the position with little warning, playing outside the shoot-first, ask-questions-later comfort zone he built during a single season at North Carolina.

Coach Billy Donovan recognizes those early years were full of growing pains for White. But he also celebrates the way White embraced that period of uncertainty to build himself beyond the definition he carried into the league.

“There’s this internal conviction that he has in himself,” Donovan said. “It was kind of rocky for him in terms of a limited amount of basketball, never mind going into the NBA and being a starting point guard. And there was never ever a wavering.”

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Donovan describes White as “stubborn” — a word that White also uses for himself — in the way he faces challenges. After seeing that he was being targeted by opposing offenses as a weak link, he spent the summer focused heavily on growing into the type of defender who stepped in front of Austin Reaves to draw a charge in Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

White took the same approach to his ballhandling and distribution in the offseason, molding a confidence that has paid dividends.

“He’s not a finger pointer. He’s not a blamer,” Donovan said. “He really truly looks at himself.”

White’s increased ability to put the ball on the floor is critical toward improving a key part of the offense — challenging opposing defenders when they close out on perimeter shots.

Donovan has emphasized the importance of attacking closeouts since the first day of preseason. The Bulls field plenty of strong shooters but can stretch and strain opposing teams much more effectively if they pull defenders out to their shot, then drive past them to attack the rim.

This is where the Bulls generate two of the best parts of their game: rim finishing and spray-out passes for catch-and-shoot 3s.

“The more we can get Ayo (Dosunmu), Coby, Zach, Patrick (Williams), those guys at least attacking closeouts — we’ve done a really good job this year moving the ball and creating closeouts,” Donovan said. ”But if you look at our efficiency, I think that’s what’s helped our offense.

“We’ve gotten better at handling those situations in terms of guys making a decision of whether to make an extra pass, whether to drive the ball, whether to just to shoot it. And the more we can take advantage of those opportunities and be good at them, it’s going to really help us offensively.”