MILWAUKEE — Coby White made a strong impression in his first outing as starting point guard for the Chicago Bulls. It’s a position he hopes to hold on to for the rest of the season.
Coach Billy Donovan emphasized he hasn’t decided who will start for the Bulls on Oct. 25 in the home opener against Oklahoma, adding that training camp did not create a clear distinction between White, Jevon Carter and Ayo Dosunmu.
“To say that, ‘Hey, listen, this guy really separated himself’ — I don’t think that happened,” Donovan said. “Really all three of those guys played well.”
But Sunday showcased White’s continued development as a playmaker, particularly in his ability to create opportunities for teammates by generating downhill movement as he logged six total assists. White showed improved skill with the ball in his hands while driving to the rim, building on his ability to pass through traffic and in the air after making an initial run at the basket.
Despite his playmaking duties, White is still a proficient shooter, finishing with 14 points and 2-for-5 shooting from behind the arc.
With White in the starting role, guards Jevon Carter and Ayo Dosunmu featured in a variety of lineups as Donovan uses the preseason to tinker with rotations.
Carter and Dosunmu remain candidates for the starting gig, but Sunday’s performance showcased the versatility provided by placing them deeper in the rotation with off-ball opportunities — a role both guards have embraced. Even during training camp, Donovan said Carter often directed Dosunmu to take point during stretches of play, embracing both sides of his role as a combination guard.
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“That’s the beauty of Jevon,” Donovan said. “He’s fine playing off the ball, playing on the ball. He’s not just so stuck in that.”
Dosunmu scored eight points and added two assists, sinking a buzzer-beater to close the third quarter. Carter also finished with eight points and two assists.
The Bulls took 35 attempts from behind the 3-point arc Sunday, a steep improvement from their league-low average of 28.9 last season.
Although their accuracy wasn’t as high — finishing 13-for-35 from 3-point range — Donovan emphasized that generating looks is more important in the preseason than final statistics.
This still leaves room to catch up to the top 3-point shooting teams in the league — the top-5 tier averages more than 37 shots per game. But if the Bulls can maintain that volume as a new normal this season, they will be better equipped to keep pace offensively with their opponents.
The first player off the bench in Milwaukee for the Bulls was Torrey Craig, who entered the game for Patrick Williams to give the Bulls their first look at a potential alternative for a starter at the 4.
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More of a pure wing player than Williams, Craig showed dynamic potential defensively and on the glass in his first outing. Craig connected well with White on slashing cuts to collect and finish on the run at the rim, finishing with seven points, four rebounds and a steal.
DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević logged just over 17 minutes in the first half of Sunday’s outing, a span mostly focused on judging their fit with White, Williams, Craig and Carter.
LaVine went 1-for-3 from 3-point range to finish with nine points. DeRozan scored seven points with a steal and a block. Vučević logged four rebounds and four points.
But the more important takeaway from the game was the clear fluidity of ball movement between the trio and White, which helped the Bulls whip passes around the perimeter for a more creative look at the offense.
The Bucks held out a majority of their stars for their first preseason outing, including Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, whose move to Milwaukee drove preseason conversation throughout the league. Khris Middleton, Cam Payne, AJ Green and Chris Livingston also sat out of the game.
The absence of these major players was one reason Donovan feels preseason results can’t be used as a true gauge for opposing teams.
“I don’t think it really has anything to do with anything,” Donovan said. “I just don’t think the preseason — in terms of trying to evaluate the league — means a lot. You’re playing sometimes 15 guys in some of these games. It’s just totally unrealistic. These games are important to play against other competition, see different coverages, see different offensive sets you have to guard against, see how well you can execute on both ends of the floor. You’re really evaluating yourself.”