Coby White made his season debut Sunday night and nearly lifted the Chicago Bulls to a wild win in Salt Lake City.
White had yet to play this season due to a lingering calf injury, but he was cleared to debut at the Delta Center on Sunday night for the Bulls’ matchup with the Utah Jazz. While he scored a team-high 27 points and eight assists off the bench, it wasn’t enough to carry the Bulls to the win. The Jazz escaped with a 150-147 win in double overtime, thanks to a huge shot from Keyonte George in the final seconds.
That shot came just seconds after White tied it at the free-throw line. George dropped 33 points despite shooting just 3-of-10 from behind the arc in the win for the Jazz (5-8).
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White hit a similar shot at the end of the first overtime. After forcing a jump ball, White came off a screen and drove right to the lane to hit a layup to tie the game.
Lauri Markkanen led Utah with 47 points and seven rebounds in the win. Brice Sensabaugh added 16 points off the bench, and Isaiah Collier finished with 16 points and nine assists.
Josh Giddey added 26 points and 13 assists for the Bulls, who have lost five straight games. Nikola Vucevic added 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Matas Buzelis finished with 18 points.
White — who was selected by the team with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft — got out to a decent start to his career despite starting just one game as a rookie. He averaged 13.2 points and finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting. White put up similar numbers over the next three seasons, though his playing time dwindled in 2022-23, when he started just two games.
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Coming off his worst season as a pro, White found another level. He averaged 19.1 points, 5.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds during the 2023-24 season. All figures represented career-highs for White at that point in his career. He essentially repeated those numbers last season, averaging 20.4 points, 4.5 assists and 3.7 rebounds, proving his breakout was for real.
Despite his success, the Bulls have had just one winning season since selecting White in the NBA Draft and have made the playoffs only one time. They went 39-43 in each of the past two campaigns.
After getting out to a surprising 5-0 start, the Bulls have gone 1-6 in their last seven games. They will take on the Denver Nuggets next on Monday night. While they have been struggling lately, White’s return should provide them a significant boost as they wrap up their four-game road trip this week.
