There is renewed hope surrounding the Chicago Bulls in recent weeks amid Josh Giddey's hot streak that shows the Bulls front office may have been onto something when they targeted him as the sole return in the Alex Caruso trade this past offseason. On Monday night, Giddey played a starring role yet again in a 135-128 win for the Bulls over the Indiana Pacers, dropping 29 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. But he wasn't alone in leading the Bulls to victory, as Coby White matched him with 29 points of his own — his sixth consecutive game with 20 points or more.
In the process of filling up the scoring column, White crossed the 6,000-point mark for his career — a major feat considering how young he is. In fact, he became just the sixth player in Bulls franchise history to do so at 25 years old or younger, joining all-time greats of the franchise such as Michael Jordan and Derrick Rose. The other members of the exclusive club are Luol Deng, Reggie Theus, and Ben Gordon — with the first two being very important players for the Bulls for quite a long period of time.
White has done nothing but improve ever since assuming a larger role for the Bulls last season. With the Bulls building a young team, the 25-year-old guard is expected to play a huge role for the team for the foreseeable future, and under such a team-friendly contract as well.
With Giddey blossoming into an incredible all-around force, White is freer to assume a score-first role for the Bulls — a role that looks like it will suit him very well. And expect White to continue climbing the all-time Bulls scoring leaderboards, as he already ranks 18th on that ladder after his 29-point night against the Pacers.
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Coby White, Josh Giddey emerge as key pieces in Bulls' rebuild
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The Bulls may still be winning far too many games for their fanbase's liking, but the performances of their young players such as Josh Giddey and Coby White as of late have been so promising that fans wouldn't mind seeing them continue to play at their best.
Every winning team needs someone like White around to create offense for the team and wreak havoc from beyond the arc, and he's only making around $12 million for this season and the next. He will be up for a huge raise soon, but considering how well he's been playing, that will be well-deserved.