Coby White can’t remember shooting this many 3-pointers ever in his life.
Not in college. Certainly not in high school. Not even close. White has always seen himself as a shooter. But that identity was always attached to a limit of how often his coach would expect — or tolerate — his attempts from behind the arc.
But this Chicago Bulls season, that limit doesn’t seem to exist. After the first 23 games, White is averaging 8.9 attempts from behind the arc per game — nearly two more than his average of seven attempts per game last season and almost double his volume from the 2022-23 season (4.6). White is scoring 18.1 points per game despite averaging one fewer shot than last year, generating more than half his points through 3-pointers.
This spike in shooting is a byproduct of a new offensive ethos that has transformed the Bulls into the fastest team in the NBA. And for White, it makes decision making behind the arc remarkably straightforward.
“Basically, if we get any airspace, we want to shoot threes,” White said.
The Bulls aren’t alone in this shift. Last year, only five players averaged nine or more attempts from 3-point range per game: Stephen Curry (11.8), Luka Dončić (10.6), Klay Thompson (9), Donovan Mitchell (9) and LaMelo Ball (9). A third of the way into this season, 12 players are averaging more than nine attempts behind the arc per game. White sits just outside that group with the fifteenth-highest volume of 3-point attempts.
Some of those statistics will dwindle as midseason fatigue sets in. But it’s clear the league is trending toward a higher volume of 3-point shooting — and a faster pace of play as a result.
The Bulls have made the most dramatic shift in the NBA, surging from the worst 3-point shooting team at the end of the 2022-23 season to one of the most prolific long-range teams this year.
At first, this style was a shock. But as the season rolls along, opposing defenses are beginning to craft counters to slow the Bulls down — picking up full court, switching to a zone, switching one through five, veering off on the pick and roll.
Opponents are especially shifting their defensive approach to Nikola Vučević as he sustains the Bulls offense with a white-hot shooting start by putting a body on the center at the point of the screen to blow up his rolls to the rim and push him off his spot behind the arc.
These counters pose a challenge for White, who is no longer simply a shooter. Last season, White transformed himself into the primary initiator of the Bulls offense.
The acquisition of Josh Giddey and return of Lonzo Ball this season meant White relinquished many of those duties. Still, White understands that moving out of the point guard position doesn’t mean he isn’t still a valuable playmaker. And he’s too important to the offense to linger behind the arc, waiting for someone else to drive and kick to set him up for an easy catch-and-shoot.
“It’s kind of hard to navigate which ones to take and which ones you shouldn’t take, when to drive, when not to drive with this new style of play especially,” White said. “I’m settling for a bunch of threes. We’ve got to start getting downhill more and use my playmaking creativity in the paint. I know I can do more there.”
For White, exercising this discretion is especially difficult when the team’s definition of a “good 3-pointer” has changed so much from one season to the next. As the primary ballhandler for the Bulls last season, White was expected to weigh every shot attempt behind the arc against an opportunity to pass or drive. But this year, the general directive is to let it rip.
Figuring out how to maximize his 3-point opportunities while still contributing to a balanced offense is tricky. But a green light this bright is also a rare freedom for a shooter — and a sign of trust — that White doesn’t take for granted.
“Would you rather have a coach telling you to shoot the ball or rather have a coach tell you maybe don’t shoot that one?” White said. “It’s all about perspective. I always think about where I was three, four years ago — I didn’t have that same role. So for me, I’m thankful for it and learning to navigate that and to get through it.”
