Coby White was sidelined for the first 11 games of the season due to a calf injury sustained in the preseason. Tonight, he made his debut against the Utah Jazz, coming off the bench with a minutes restriction. The plan is to ease him back into his typical role, limiting his minutes initially, and withholding him from playing in back-to-back nights. With Josh Giddey returning tonight and White finally in the lineup, the Bulls are getting close to full strength. In his first action of the year, his impact was immediate and essential. Here's what Chicago had been missing for the first 11 outings.
Best Three-Point Shooter
Coby White is the most lethal outside shooting option on the Bulls roster. Last season, he averaged nearly eight attempts per night and was making almost three of those. He set a franchise record in three-point makes the previous year, and is the only returning player to average over 20 points per game. Chicago's current three-point leader takes 4.9 per game, and is only making them at a 31.5% rate, compared to White's 37.0% rate on 7.9 attempts in 2024. In his first six-minute stint tonight off the pine, everyone was quickly reminded how dangerous he is beyond the arc.
COBY WHITE IS BACK ONLY NEEDED TWO SECONDS TO SCORE pic.twitter.com/AZVMyavJZk
— Ross Pins (@chisportsross) November 17, 2025
Featuring an elite-level three-point shooting option who can also playmake amongst the best in the league will revolutionize Chicago's offensive attack. He's two three-point makes, two rebounds, and one assist in his first six minutes.
Best Young Backcourt In Basketball
Although Giddey and White are both in the rotation tonight, the preview of their sharing a backcourt will have to wait. White is coming off the bench, while Giddey is part of the starting unit; the two are primarily playing staggered minutes. When he's back to full strength and playing regular minutes, he'll likely be in the starting five, and the two will represent one of the brightest young duos in the backcourt. In this game, the glimpse of his three-point shooting abilities and playmaking skills are exciting prospects for what the starting unit will feature moving forward.
Last season after the All-Star break when it was clearly their team, #JoshGiddey and #CobyWhite played 19 games together and averaged the following:
— Just Another Year Chicago: Bulls (@JAYChi_Bulls) November 14, 2025
Josh Giddey
21.2 pts, 10.7 rebs, 9.3 asts
Coby White
25.2 pts, 4.2 rebs, 4.2 asts
The #ChicagoBulls need them BADLY. #SeeRed pic.twitter.com/gszB8k5gw4
In the last 20 games of the 2024-25 campaign, the team was 15-5. With Giddey playing some of the best basketball of his career, and White hot out of the gates early, can they carry this group of youngsters to a playoff appearance for the first time in four years? A new era of Chicago Bulls basketball has officially arrived.
