Chicago basketball report: Coby White’s star rises as Bulls get first winning streak — without Zach LaVine
Coby White is fueling the first run of the season for the Chicago Bulls. The team is now on a win streak without Zach LaVine on the court. But injuries could hamper the roster for the rest of the month.
Down in the SEC, Chicago native and former DePaul star Aneesah Morrow impressed in her second test against top-ranked NCAA opponents.
Every Wednesday throughout the season, Tribune writers will provide an update on what happened — and what’s ahead — for the Bulls, Sky and local basketball.
Coby White’s star continues to rise as young players fuel wins — without Zach Lavine
It took a few weeks, but the highly anticipated breakout season for Coby White appears to have entered into full swing.
The fourth-year guard’s moment seemed to come in Saturday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans when fans at the United Center joined in chanting White’s name as he led the Bulls in a 31-point performance. White dropped eight 3-pointers in the win while dishing out six assists, moving the ball with confidence in his 21st outing as this season’s starting point guard.
White struggled to find his shot at the start of the season, shooting 17-for-51 through the first 10 games. Coach Billy Donovan spent those early weeks urging White to shoot — and not just from the 3-point line. He feels the Bulls are at their best when White is leaning into his most aggressive offense, utilizing both his shot and his ability to drive downhill to fuel the rest of the team’s scoring.
“For a guy like Coby, he cannot bypass open shots for our team,” Donovan said. “There’s a fine line between taking good shots and bad shots, but I’d rather have our guys be aggressive and decisive.”
But White settled into himself in recent weeks, making four or more shots behind the arc in seven of the last eight games. He’s moved up to ninth in the league in 3-pointers made this season, barely trailing players like Jayson Tatum, Paul George and Michael Porter Jr.
Teammate Nikola Vučević noted White spent the early weeks of the season trying to strike the right balance between his point guard duties and his natural skill at scoring. Now, White has found the sweet spot and the entire team is benefiting as a result.
The Bulls are now on their first win streak of the season — without Zach LaVine on the court. Sure, it’s only two wins. But the Bulls have put together their two most convincing performances of the season without their maximum contract star on the court as LaVine sits out for a week with a foot injury.
If the Bulls can continue to play with this style when LaVine returns, they’ll be in a better position to erase their demoralizing 7-14 start to the season.
Aneesah Morrow shows out against Virginia Tech
In her second true test against a ranked opponent, Aneesah Morrow proved she can go toe-to-toe with the best in the NCAA.
The Simeon standout and DePaul transfer started alongside star Angel Reese for only the second time Thursday to face Virginia Tech, which was ranked No. 9 heading into the matchup. Their only other simultaneous start was in the season opener against Colorado, which resulted in a 14-point upset loss for the Tigers. Morrow struggled in that game, scoring only six points.
Coach Kim Mulkey moved Morrow out of the starting lineup after that loss, but the forward returned to the starting rotation when Reese was suspended by Mulkey for unspecified reasons. Morrow quickly returned to posting the type of stat lines that were commonplace in her two years at DePaul, but she was facing unranked opponents like Texas Southern and Niagara.
Thursday’s game answered one critical question — what will it look like when Morrow and Angel Reese play together?
The answer was simple: complete domination.
LSU beat Virginia Tech in an 82-68 win defined by post play. Morrow led the Tigers with 19 points and 15 rebounds and added three steals and two blocks on the defensive end. It was Morrow’s third consecutive double-double — and her fourth of the season. Reese was similarly active in her return, finishing with 19 points, nine rebounds and one steal.
This was a critical moment for Morrow, who took a gamble when she chose to transfer to the already star-studded roster in Baton Rouge. Morrow was always the best player on the floor during her two years at DePaul. When she entered the transfer portal, she sought a higher level of competition — both from her opponents and within her own locker room.
If Morrow can hold her own in the LSU lineup and against top opponents, she’ll be on the right path to secure a spot in the WNBA — and to power the Tigers to a second-straight NCAA title.
Alex Caruso and Torrey Craig use off days to address injuries
We’ve already reached the point in the season when physical availability plays a key factor for players and team rotations.
Alex Caruso always poses an injury concern for the Bulls due to his not-quite-reckless style of play — and outright proclivity to dive headfirst into danger. He’s already missed three games of this season and a lingering toe injury could continue to threaten his availability.
Caruso was yanked in the second half of Saturday’s win after an accidental kick from Jose Alvarado caused a flare of pain in his left big toe. This has been an issue for Caruso since he injured his toe in practice in early November. Caruso did not practice Sunday or Monday and sat out of contact drills Tuesday. However, the guard said he is optimistic that he will be available Wednesday — albeit under his standard minutes restriction, which aims to keep his playing time around 25 or 26 minutes.
Torrey Craig also sat out the first two practices of this week with knee soreness. Donovan said the forward played through the soreness in last week’s wins over the Bucks and the Pelicans, during which he averaged 12.5 points and seven rebounds. Craig worked with trainers and shot around after practice on Tuesday.
Number of the week: 33.5
Don’t look now, but the Bulls have officially crossed the threshold to become a top-15 team in the league at 3-point shooting volume.
The Bulls averaged 35.2 attempts from behind the arc in the last 10 games, a heightened volume that lifted their season-long average to 33.5 — the 15th highest in the league. Threes account for 34.6% of the total shots the Bulls are taking this season compared to 30.4% last season, according to Cleaning the Glass.
That’s a sizable improvement for a team that finished dead last in attempts last year. The Bulls are taking an average of 4.6 more attempts per game from 3-point range this season.
The next step is improving accuracy. The Bulls are in the top half of the league in takes but not in makes, shooting just 35.4% from behind the arc (22nd in the league).
That efficiency improved to 35.8% in the past 10 games — and 38.4% in the last five games — as players like Coby White begin to warm into their shot. During that 10-game span, the Bulls were 16th in made 3-pointers (12.6).
Week ahead: Bulls
Wednesday: Home vs. Charlotte Hornets, 7 p.m., NBC Sports Chicago
Thursday: Off
Saturday: @ San Antonio Spurs, 7:30 p.m., NBC Sports Chicago
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Off
Monday: @ Milwaukee Bucks, 7 p.m., NBC Sports Chicago
Tuesday: Home vs. Denver Nuggets, 7 p.m., NBC Sports Chicago
What we’re reading this morning
Is Bulls coach Billy Donovan’s job in jeopardy after a dismal start to the season?
It’s a circus atmosphere when Caitlin Clark plays — and the Iowa star is savoring every bit of it
This week in Chicago Bulls history
Dec. 8, 2018: Bulls lose 133-77 to the Celtics — setting a franchise record with a 56-point defeat
On Nov. 8, 2001, during what was then a franchise-record 53-point loss to the Timberwolves in Minnesota, Bulls coach Tim Floyd replaced starters Charles Oakley, Marcus Fizer, Brad Miller, Greg Anthony and Ron Mercer with the rarely-seen five-man substitution of Fred Hoiberg, Kevin Ollie, Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry and Trenton Hassell.
Oakley blasted the move afterward, drawing a $50,000 fine from general manager Jerry Krause.
Though nobody publicly blasted Jim Boylen for reprising Floyd’s move not once but twice during the Bulls’ 133-77 loss to the Celtics at the United Center, frustration filled the postgame locker room. The 56-point margin set a franchise mark for the largest loss, which prompted boos to rain down loudly at the game’s end. Asked about the fine line between sending a message and embarrassing a professional player, Boylen offered this response.
“I think your play is embarrassing,” he said. “Me subbing them is saving them maybe. The pro player thing? This is basketball. This is about honoring the game and doing the right things. I worked for Gregg Popovich. He subbed five guys a ton of times. Nobody says a word to him about it.
“He felt that was best for the team. I felt that was best for the team. And that’s what my job is. Embarrassment is not giving the effort in that Bulls uniform. So I put five guys in that I thought could put the effort in.”
Dec. 11: 2018: Bulls form a leadership committee
The idea came from coach Jim Boylen, who was elevated to the top job on Dec. 3 that year after Fred Hoiberg was let go.
“I want the leadership group because they will have input on what we do and how we operate,” Boylen said. “It doesn’t mean that I’m not the head coach and they’re the players. But they’re going to be respected as men at this level.
“We had a situation over the weekend that could’ve been handled by a leadership group walking into my office and saying, ‘You know what, Coach? This is how we feel today. What do you think?’ That was the teaching moment and the moment we built on. We got a good group of guys and a good leadership group. I’m juiced, man. I’m jacked up about it.”
The Bulls endured a tumultuous 24 hours in which they lost to the Celtics by a franchise-record 56 points and then had two or three players suggest in a group text exchange to boycott Boylen’s scheduled practice — which came after a back-to-back set of games and with three games in four days — before two hours of team meetings. An emotional meeting with players, Boylen and management followed a players-only meeting.
Leadership committees aren’t associated much with 15-man NBA rosters. In the NFL, Giants coach Tom Coughlin established one after almost getting fired, and that franchise later won a Super Bowl. Boylen said he came to his decision because he reads a lot about coaching and leadership.
Boylen was fired on Aug. 14, 2020, after two seasons with the Bulls. He went 39-84 without a playoff appearance after taking the job in December 2018.
Quotable
“If I don’t shoot it, I get cussed out. So I might as well shoot it.” — Coby White after hitting eight 3-pointers in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday
