The Chicago Bulls Coby White pick in the 2019 NBA draft wasn't hard to predict. It looked and felt like the coming together of two powerful magnets. A team that was in desperate need of an athletic point guard and a point guard who loved to run a high-octane offensive approach with his strong, diverse skill set. Truly a match made in heaven and a strong consolation for the Bulls once again failing to get higher than 7th in the lottery drawing.
White averaged 16 points per game for North Carolina. He broke the program's scoring record for a freshman with 469 points. The record's previous holder? None other than Michael Jordan. Pretty good company to keep. All signs point to White being a strong team player with significant athletic upside who should be able to contribute right away.
While nobody is saying this is the final piece to a championship puzzle, it does appear to finally clarify the picture for the Bulls. They suddenly have a young, athletic, and diverse starting lineup. There's the scorer in Zach Lavine, the tall and rangy shooter in Lauri Markannen, the tough shot blocker in Wendell Carter Jr., and now the versatile floor general in White. It looks like a group with significant potential.
So what do others think about the pick?
Chicago Bulls Coby White pick receiver universal praise
Per usual in the realm of modern sports coverage, the NBA draft came with several prominent news outlets receiving team grades for their picks. Not everybody was impressed with what the Bulls did. However, a significant majority of the major coverage outlets gave the team the highest marks for the selection.
Sports Illustrated
"White’s shooting ability and size make him an appealing prospect, and he’s just begun to tap into his ability as a playmaker. This pick is hard to knock, given both value and need. Grade: A"
CBS Sports
"Roy Williams put the ball in his hands and let him show he can be a primary ball-handler. That's what the Bulls need more than anything. Great pick. Grade: A"
The Ringer
"White is an extremely athletic guard with great size for his position (6-foot-5, 191 pounds) as well as the ability to make plays and shoot 3s off the dribble...His shooting ability may already make him a better fit than Kris Dunn. White makes them better next season while also giving them another chance to find a star. Grade: A"
SB Nation
"This pick fills a big need for the Bulls and also gives them flexibility moving forward. White has the size and skill set to play on- or off-the-ball. If he doesn’t grow into the Bulls’ point guard of the future, he should be a quality sixth man. This is a pick that offers both a high ceiling and a high floor for Chicago. Grade: B+"
Bleacher Report
"Long pegged as Chicago's likely pick, White ended up falling to the perimeter-needy franchise. The combo guard set a North Carolina freshman record with 106 threes in 2018-19―and the Bulls mustered a league-low 9.1 triples per game. Grade: B+"
There's no getting around it. The odds of the White pick being a bust are low. At the very least the Bulls got themselves a quality player who can lead their bench for the next several years. On the other hand, if he realizes his potential they have a young man who could find himself in a number of All-Star games. It's his career to lose.
