Before the lottery, just like 14 other teams, I wanted Zion.
He is definitely a top 4 prospect since the turn of the century (Lebron, KD, and AD being the other three). He has transcendent potential and could change the face of any franchise for the next 10-15 years. That being said, I don’t buy the whole, “there is only 1 star in this draft” narrative, because how can we know? Players that we didn’t expect to turn into stars are often drafted much later than previously predicted. Kawhi and Giannis weren’t even lottery picks. Jokic was drafted in the second damn round. I get annoyed when people say that after Zion there are no stars in this draft. What if we assessed a draft class 3-5 years after the fact, rather than before anyone has stepped foot on an NBA court.
The Bulls have a clear and obvious need and that is at the point guard position. Right now, Ja Morant is the best point guard in this draft. Freak athlete, amazing playmaker, highlight real dunks, can finish around the basket, but just makes his whole team better. Unfortunately, he won’t be there for the Bulls at the #7 pick. I’d be surprised if he was available for the Knicks to take at #3. After Morant, Darius Garland (Vanderbilt) and Coby White (North Carolina) are the point guards who rank high and project well once in the NBA. Garland played less than a handful of games in college before suffering a season ending injury. White was the driving force behind the UNC offense all season long. Coming in, scouts thought he was just a scorer who lacked playmaking abilities. Over the year he made great improvements to the playmaking side of his game, while not taking a step back with his scoring abilities.
I want the Chicago Bulls to make the right pick with the 7th pick in the draft, a spot they’ve done well at in the past (Kirk Hinrich, Lauri Markkanen, and Wendell Carter Jr.). On June 20th, I am wishing so desperately that when Adam Silver calls out who the Bulls have decided to take, he calls out Coby White’s name. I would love to see Coby White take the hat they give the players at the draft and try and fit it on his amazing hair. I don’t think the hat will fit, he’ll probably try then it will fall off, then he’ll just hold it in his left hand as he uses his right hand to shake hands with Adam Silver.
Coby White is a great fit with this Chicago team. He likes to take the ball and go. I can just envision Wendell getting the rebound down low, immediately looking up and finding Coby for the quick transition pass near midcourt; Coby takes it and runs then as the trail defender closes in on him, he tosses the ball up to his left side with a high flying Zach Lavine coming in for the fast break alley-oop dunk. The United Center is going to be rocking. Everyone on their feet cheering for the team as they just sealed a late season victory led by leading scorer, Lauri Markkanen. The Bulls just beat the Pistons and clinched their ticket to the postseason as the 7th or 8th seed.
But on the real, Coby fits in perfect with this team. I fully believe he can be the point guard of the future and lead the Bulls offense for the next 10 years.He is big and athletic, the perfect size for a modern NBA point guard at 6’5”. He is versatile and can play the 1 or 2 position if need be. But my favorite thing about White is how hard he plays and his clear desire to become a better basketball player. He wasn’t supposed to be the best freshman at North Carolina this past season, but he was. At the start of the season he was going to be a second round pick if he decided to go pro, but most thought he’d just stay in school. He wasn’t a point guard who made his teammates better. He just scored and lacked playmaking abilities. He proved people wrong there as well. This dude broke Michael Jordan’s freshman scoring record at North Carolina. He is the all-time leading scorer in North Carolina high school basketball history. Is Coby White the perfect draft prospect? Of course not. He has areas he needs to improve in. He forces shots too much at times, and often he is inconsistent shooting off the dribble (even though he is great at creating space for his shots.) Like most guards coming out of college, he needs to get stronger. But if Coby White has proved anything, its that he can score on any level, and he will always work to improve his game. He will make adjustments in a game and throughout the season. I fully expect Coby to have games where he looks like a rookie, where he struggles, where he forces things too much, but he’ll also have stretches in the season where he will look like the best rookie point guard. I have high hopes for Coby White as an NBA player and I would love if he was able to suit up in a Chicago Bulls uniform for years to come.
Also, Steph Curry was a point guard who was taken with the 7th pick in the draft.