During Monday’s game, Coby White performed exceptionally well at Footprint Center for three quarters.
This is a remarkable achievement, especially in Phoenix, where White played alongside top players like Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker, as well as his teammate DeMar DeRozan.
White's performance for 36 minutes was outstanding. He made long-range 3-pointers, made clever passes to his teammates, and scored under pressure. He scored 10 of his 26 points in the final quarter to counter Durant's strong performance.
However, in the last two minutes, DeRozan, not White, took most of the shots for the Bulls. DeRozan took four out of five shots in the final 128 seconds of the 115-113 loss. The end of Monday’s game raised an important question: When will White have earned the opportunity to have the ball in his hands during the final moments of a game?.
The last two minutes of Monday’s game raised an important question: At what point will White have earned the right to be the player with the ball in his hands while the final seconds rattle off the clock?
DeRozan's answer is clear: White has already earned it.
DeRozan stated, “Without a doubt, if he got it rolling or even if he looked at me and said he wanted it, wouldn’t be no problem. That’s how much trust we got in him.”
The Bulls were not able to secure victory in crucial moments of Monday’s game. The Bulls had a 23-point lead in the third quarter, but then struggled against the Suns. DeRozan wasn’t the only player relied upon for a potential equalizer. The first play was designed to give Patrick Williams a lob at the basket for a dunk, taking advantage of the fact that the Bulls only had 1.6 seconds to work with on the clock.
The final shot of the game was more of a result of Durant’s talent in crucial moments than any defensive error or poor decision-making by the Bulls.
However, this is an important aspect to redefine as the Bulls progress. The team's identity has evolved around White, who has had a breakout season, creating a clear direction for the future in Chicago. Yet, in crucial moments, it appears that veteran experience still prevails. The Bulls have had more crucial minutes than most other teams this season, with 23 games ending with an average of 4.6 minutes spent in crucial moments. The team has performed well in these situations, with a 13-10 record and a 48.9% field goal percentage. Not every game has been decided by a buzzer-beater, but it provides a broad idea of how the Bulls prefer to handle these moments. Sometimes the ball goes to someone else. For instance, Alex Caruso has attempted several buzzer-beaters to win games or send them into overtime. However, the Bulls consistently turn to DeRozan.
This would be the case in almost any team. DeRozan is one of the most reliable players in the NBA in crucial moments. He is among the top five active players in career clutch shooting, behind Durant, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and LeBron James. This season, he has made the fourth-highest number of field goals in crucial moments (25) with a 51% shooting average.
It's difficult to argue that DeRozan shouldn't have the ball for a game-winning shot, based on his performance. However, if the Bulls focus on building their future around White, they will likely start trusting him with more of these crucial moments.
How can the Bulls achieve that goal?
White has taken 32 shots in clutch situations in 23 games this season. He's behind only DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vučević in clutch attempts. Although his 3-point shooting has decreased in these moments this season, making 5 out of 17 attempts (29.4%) from 3-point range, White has a consistent 50% shooting percentage from the field in clutch situations.
White has taken important shots in crucial moments, often when his experienced teammates are not available. For example, he made 3-pointers in clutch moments and overtime in a win over the Milwaukee Bucks in November while both LaVine and DeRozan were not playing.
DeRozan mentioned that White is not hesitant to express his views during the final minutes, asking Donovan to change one of the final plays in Monday’s loss in order to set up a play that he preferred.
DeRozan said, "He changed the play, and Coby came down, was aggressive, and made something out of it. That's the level of trust we have in him, whether it's taking the last shot or running a play, whatever it may be."
Considering this established dynamic, it seems that these crucial moments are now White’s responsibility. His shooting percentage in clutch moments is almost the same as DeRozan's, and he has become more confident as the season has progressed, both from behind the 3-point line and in his ability to bypass defenders to reach the hoop.
In order for White to progress in his development, he'll need to start focusing on these moments when the game is on the line. DeRozan mentioned that White just needs to do one thing to make this happen: Ask for the ball.
For three quarters of Monday's game, Coby White was the top player at Footprint Center. This achievement is significant in any league, but particularly in Phoenix, where White was competing with Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker alongside his teammate, DeMar DeRozan. This is not an exaggeration.
For White to take the next step in his development, he’ll need to begin honing himself in these moments with the game on the line. And DeRozan said White just has to do one thing to make this happen: Ask for the ball.
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