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Luckily for Coby White, his teammates played a better defense for him than White did on Monday night in a brutal loss to the lowly Washington Wizards.
Shorthanded or not, the Bulls lost to a Wizards team that finished back-to-back games, playing without Russell Westbrook and entering as one of the worst defensive teams in the league.
When Raul Neto scored two easy layups in the first minute, 32 seconds of the second period, coach Billy Donovan pulled the plug. White, who failed to score in the first half, missed all five shots. Came Tomáš Satoranský, who said he feels 100% after his battle with COVID-19.
“I gave up two layups so I didn’t expect to stay,” White said.
To White’s credit, he rallied to finish with 8 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and a single turnover in 30 minutes, sinking a huge 8-foot jumper with 29.2 seconds to play on a shrewd play. out of Donovan limits. . The shot pulled the Bulls within one and gave them plenty of time to regain possession.
But Whites shot 3 for 10, missed all four 3s, and struggled too often defensively on another inconsistent night.
“Last year I went through the same thing, going up and down shooting the ball, “said White, who is now 40 percent from the field.” Just try to stay consistent, do more shots in the gym. “
Donovan has always said he will stay with White, who is in his first season as a full-time starter and is playing more on the ball than last season. But with the number of possessions where Zach LaVine is playing the playmaker more and more and Satoranský has been playing strong lately – including 9 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists on Monday – faster hooks could be in the future of White.
“Everyone has bad games and has weak points. I think Coby, his effort, first of all, is still there. He’s always upbeat and looking to help the guys even if he doesn’t have the best. shooting night or the best game, ”LaVine said. “So help him find some easy beats, put him in a beat. And once he gets into a beat, I think it’s going to take off from there.”
Satoranský, while acknowledging White’s inconsistent play, also supported his teammate.
“I think this is the most difficult transition for someone coming out of college and having a playmaker position. I can tell from my own experience, and I was 25 when I was came to the United States and tried to be a point guard an NBA team, ” Satoransky said. “I think his aggression is the best we can get from him, to really play him in a rhythm. Sometimes he tries from this leadership position to play a lot to be a facilitator. And I always tell him, when he’s aggressive he’s the best Coby, I know. And I think that’s the best thing for the team. “
This is the price the Bulls pay for trying to force White into the lead. Too often he seems to differ, trying to get his five-man unit to play in rhythm. He hasn’t posted a 20-point game since Jan. 30 and has had just one 30-point game after scoring three straight off the bench in the past season.
“He has to play the game,” Donovan said. “Just to start chasing the punches he’s going to have to play the game… He didn’t get a lot of hits, but I think he stayed pretty aggressive. I thought he tried playing downhill. early. He didn’t really try to get off his feet early to end up at the rim, but I always told him: stay aggressive.
“We are counting on him to lead the team and get us in and out of fouls and I’ve seen a lot of progress from him. But I just think the shooting element has to be: is it benefiting and help the team in terms of people involved? “
Speaking of questions, did we mention that White’s teammates have been defending and supporting him?
“It’s hard for him, that’s for sure. There is a lot of pressure. But he lives up to the pressure, ” Satoransky said. “He was an amazing learner and he did everything right in the workouts and did all the hard work. So I trust him.
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