Coby White is the longest serving player on the Chicago Bulls, which highlights how much has changed in recent seasons.
In March 2025, Coby White has been one of the in-form players in the NBA. He has been averaging 29.5 points per game, far beyond his career average of 15.1 ppg.
White is enjoying new freedom in the Chicago Bulls‘ offense, but admits there have been some low points.
During a difficult time earlier during his Bulls spell, White revealed he reached out to NBA veteran Chris Paul for some guidance.
Coby White’s run of success lately for the Chicago Bulls feels deserved, and it feels earned. He has been through some tough moments since being drafted seventh overall in the the 2019 NBA Draft.
Speaking to the Chicago Sports Network, White admitted his spell on the team has not been easy, but he has tried to learn from the different challenges.
He explained: “There’s been multiple low points… my rookie year was very hard for me, my second year was hard. I think they all taught me something though. I can’t pinpoint one, I think they all taught me something.”
White explained that he found working under coach Billy Donovan to be a challenge after the former OKC coach was hired in 2020.
He said: “From my rookie year not playing a lot, to my second year, my first year with coach, who pushed me super-hard every day non-stop.”
He explained how a conversation with Chris Paul changed his perspective on Billy Donovan’s approach.
“I even called CP, ‘cos I knew he coached him the year before and I asked him ‘what’s up with him?’, and CP told me ‘if he wasn’t hard on you, he wouldn’t. He sees a lot in you’.
“He had Shai when he was young, he was hard on Shai but he saw a lot in Shai.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is currently the favorite to win MVP, thriving for the number one team in the Western Conference.
Coby White added that even after his moment of reckoning early under Billy Donovan, it was not smooth sailing since, with injuries holding him back. He started only 17 games in 2021/22, and just two the following season.
He said: “Going into my third year we had a whole new team and I was the only one not playing because I had shoulder surgery. At the beginning of that year when everything was going well for that team I was on the sidelines watching.
“You just continue to ride through it all, you try to take learning experiences from all those moments.”
Coby White has been consistent for the Bulls all season long, but he has reached new heights with a more prominent offensive role since the Zach LaVine trade.
He has gone from averaging 18.2 points per game before the All-Star break to 26.2 in the six weeks since.
His big performance on the road at the LA Lakers a week ago earned praise from legend James Worthy, who was impressed by the way he performed, and he has been doing that on a nightly basis lately.
