The Chicago Bulls guards lined up for a photo shoot Monday at the Advocate Center, but one was missing.
“Where’s Ayo?” someone yelled.
Ayo Dosunmu quickly emerged from a small, enclosed photo booth, joined his teammates and bent to tie his shoes before the group shot.
It was a perfect reminder of what could be in store for Bulls fans in the 2024-25 season.
The veteran with the chip on his shoulder in Zach LaVine. A player returning almost three years after a potential career-ending injury in Lonzo Ball. A new guy with flashy playmaking skills in Josh Giddey. And a local kid making good in Dosunmu.
And in the middle of it all is Coby White, the 24-year-old who looks to be on the doorstep of stardom in his sixth season.
This is Coby’s time. This is Coby’s team.
It will be fun to see if White can not only match the stellar performance we saw last season, but also become the kind of player who can lift this Bulls team on his shoulders for an entire season. He was taught by one of the best, DeMar DeRozan, who served as a father figure the last three years to both White and Dosunmu.
Now DeRozan is off to bigger things in Sacramento, and White will have to emerge as the focus of the offense while improving his defense.
That might mean less ballhandling, deferring to Giddey at the point. But White said he’s ready to adapt to anything that comes his way.
“I’m used to playing different roles,” he said. “I’ve been doing that my whole career. On the ball, off the ball, whatever it may be, I think I’ve thrived in multiple roles. I’m excited. It’s a different opportunity to learn coming off last year, stepping into a new role.
“Would I want to have the ball in my hands all the time? Sure. But that’s not realistic. We’ve got other good guards on this team that are just as good with the ball in their hands. Me, I’m doing what’s best for the team.”
White was a finalist last year for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award — which went to the Philadelphia 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey — after increasing his scoring average from 9.7 points per game to 19.1 and nearly doubling his assists total from 204 to 405. Executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas said matter-of-factly Monday that White should’ve won.
Perhaps his most memorable performance came in the play-in tournament game against the Atlanta Hawks at the United Center, where White dropped in 42 points amid chants of “Co-by, Co-by.” White became the fifth Bulls player to score 4,000 or more points at age 23 or younger, joining Michael Jordan, Derrick Rose, Reggie Theus and Ben Gordon.
The departures of DeRozan and Alex Caruso, who was dealt to Oklahoma City for Giddey, should lead to a more up-tempo offense and perhaps some creative, smaller lineups from coach Billy Donovan.
“I’m not opposed to playing three quote-unquote point guards or three guards together at all,” Donovan said. “I think it would be very effective, provided all those guys understand what that entails.
“I definitely see situations (playing three guards). Whether or not we start that way (with) Josh, Coby and Zach, or Josh, Coby and Ayo, or any of those guys being out there together (is to be determined).”
While the Bulls have stopped short of calling it a rebuild, this is definitely a transitional season, especially with the uncertainty of keeping LaVine. Either way, it figures to be interesting to watch. The Bulls were 22nd in points per game last season, averaging 112.3, and lost their scoring leader in DeRozan.
“We’re trying to see how this group is going to play together,” Karnišovas said. “We’re going to try and play faster and push the ball because we do understand obviously that by losing DeMar and AC there are going to be a lot of players on this roster that are going to take responsibilities and play a role that they’ve never done before.
“The shots we’re going to be hunting are basically rim shots and open 3s, and the only way to do that is if you play faster because every time you set up against a set defense, it’s pretty hard to score.”
Donovan conceded the loss of Caruso could cause some “defensive challenges,” but the Bulls can make up for it by shooting more 3s. When DeRozan was the offensive focus, his midrange jumper was what teams had to defend most. Now White can shoot more often, and if Ball is healthy, they’ll have two 3-point threats.
Of course they’ll have to hit them. But at least the Bulls would be joining the rest of the league in realizing that more 3-point shots tends to lead to a more lethal offense. They were 26th in 3-point attempts last season and 20th in 3-point percentage at 35.8%.
The two teams with the most 3-point attempts, the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, played in the NBA Finals, with the Celtics winning the championship.
White and Dosunmu held a minicamp in Miami over the summer, an idea similar to DeRozan’s summer boot camps of years past. LaVine said White’s leadership potential has always been evident to his teammates.
“When opportunity knocks, some people are ready to step through that door,” LaVine said. “Coby has always been ready for that. Talk about his leadership? He’s been doing that the last couple years. Coby is a very outspoken person and somebody we can count on for consistency, not just with his play but with his personality and the way he talks.
“That’s going to be great for us. Coby is only going to get better and better. I’ve been one of his biggest supporters since he was a rookie, and I can’t wait to see where it keeps going.”
White said it’s “kind of wild” to hear people ask about his leadership.
“I’m still 24,” he said with a smile. “But it’s a blessing for me to be in the best league in the world and be considered a leader on the team. I’m never going to take it for granted. I’m going to do my best for my teammates, always going to put them first.
“I’ve had a chance to follow some great leaders: Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan, Thaddeus Young, Garrett Temple … the opportunity to learn from people who have been in this league a long time and know what winning looks like.”
He said he was grateful to call “those legends my teammates” and will continue to pick their brains, albeit via phone and not in person.
“I know I can always count on those guys to be there for me, and I’ll always be there for them,” White said. “It hurts. I’m not going to lie. It hurts losing teammates … but it’s part of the business.”
DeRozan and Caruso are gone, and White has to do it on his own.
But this is his team now. And this is his time.
