Since drafting Coby White back in 2019, the Chicago Bulls have seen his game develop on a pro-level with many ups and downs. Now with the 2021-2022 Bulls season finished, we can take a quick look at White’s last three years in Chicago and what lies ahead for the 22-year-old guard.

Coby White’s Arrival in Chicago

White’s rookie season wasn’t bad, as he averaged 13.2 points, 2.7 assists, and 3.7 rebounds coming off the bench. In his second year, he started 54 games for the Bulls and averaged 15.1 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.1 rebounds. Seeing his numbers progress in his second year put forth some hope his development would continue heading into this third season.

When the Bulls signed Lonzo Ball last summer to a 4-year deal, it put White’s role into perspective. This season, Ball was able to bring his playmaking ability into the Bulls’ offense. When Ball went down with an injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the season, it left the door open at the starting point guard position. The duties were mostly shared by Alex Caruso, rookie Ayo Dosunmu and White. Caruso was hampered by injury most of the season, leaving Dosunmu and White with opportunities to shine for the Bulls.

2021-2022 NBA Playoffs

When the 2021-2022 NBA Playoffs came around, the Bulls found themselves with a huge need for someone to step up in the back court with Ball still out with his injury. The chance was still there for White. The results? 8.4 points, 1.8 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game — It wasn’t enough to make a difference for Chicago’s back court. The Bulls desperately needed White’s three-point shooting in the post-season and looking back at his performance, the outcome just wasn’t there.

Coby White’s 2022 Playoff numbers

Future and Free Agency for Coby White

When we take a look at some of the potential free agents out there, it’s also possible Chicago may pursue another option. There are several names out there this summer that could also fit the bill for the Bulls coming off the bench.

Some of the unrestricted free agent role-playing guards out there include Tyus Jones, Patty Mills, Jeremy Lamb, Ricky Rubio, Dennis Schroder, and Lonnie Walker.

There has been no indication Chicago intends to move him this summer; it is still too early to determine what Chicago plans to do with their group of guards next season. The eventual return of Ball and solid play coming from Dosunmu this past year puts playing time into question for White as he will also be heading into the final year of his contract with Chicago. 

Should they keep Coby White?

There are several cases to be made for the Bulls to not keep White. His role throughout all these years has not been clearly defined, he has played both the spot-up shooter and point guard role for Chicago. Going into next season, it’s hard to see him as a better fit than the prospective free-agent shooters out there.

White’s numbers in Chicago

When taking a look at his career numbers since being drafted as the seventh pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, White’s averages all went down for the most part. His potential trade value across the league remains to be seen.

Instead, the Bulls could use another wing player instead of being so stacked heavily at the guard position. If Zach LaVine re-signs with Chicago, it further limits White’s playing time with Ayo Dosunmu blooming into his second year and Caruso returning from injury.

While it can be hard to see throughout the injuries this past year, Chicago has one of the strongest groups of guards in the league. The Bulls have a healthy mix of reputable veterans and youth in their backcourt which could take them places, however, they will likely need to make some big changes heading into next season.

Make sure to check out our Bulls forum for the latest on the team.

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Fenway Park is a hitter-friendly ballpark. The Green Monster and quirky structure allow for hitters to easily get on base and find extra bases, and lineups can pile on the runs. The Chicago White Sox didn’t get the memo. In the three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox, the team scored 10 runs.

The White Sox in the series and their current winning streak haven’t been carried by their lineup. Instead, the pitching staff has continued to steal the show. The White Sox only allowed five runs in the series and have only allowed nine runs in the current six-game winning streak. The pitching dominance has not only lifted the team out of an awful April, but it has proven it can lead the team in the upcoming weeks to an anticipated successful season.

White Sox bullpen continuing to seal victories

Against the Red Sox, the White Sox bullpen pitched 12 innings and only surrendered one run. But even the stat line fails to tell the full story. The White Sox bullpen has been dominant but is starting to see some of its relievers also emerge into major roles.

Liam Hendriks is the unquestioned closer and the nine saves on the season reflect that. However, the pitchers that would get the ball to Hendriks were a question mark entering the season, especially after Craig Kimbrel was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for AJ Pollock.

Matt Foster has established himself as a surefire reliever, providing the White Sox with a scoreless inning at any point. Foster pitched two scoreless innings in the series and has found his high heater as well as a low slider that paints the corner of the strike zone. Aaron Bummer and Reynaldo Lopez have proven they can get the White Sox out of jams mid-inning and still give the team a strong inning. Finally, Kendall Graveman, who isn’t relied upon daily, can give the bullpen two strong inning or six outs, which frankly is what manager Tony La Russa is counting at the end of a game anyway.

The White Sox bullpen wasn’t an anticipated strength this season. However, early on in this season, the bullpen has been heavily relied on. More importantly, the relievers allowed the team to shorten games, which the Red Sox experienced firsthand.

Cease steps up again

Dylan Cease didn’t earn the win in his start on Saturday. However, considering all things, the start wasn’t defined by whether he got the pitching win. Rather the outing against the White Sox was defined by everything else.

Cease pitched five innings and threw over 100 pitches. What stood out was the fastball, or lack of the fastball to be exact. The 26-year-old starter strike out only threw the pitch 48 times and notably is transitioning into an off-speed, unpredictable pitcher. The slider and curveball, which are both starting to hit the upper part of the strike zone as well as the lower half, allowed Cease to strike out eight Red Sox.

Cease has established himself as the White Sox ace this season. The fastball-slider combination has become tough for opponents to hit and with a curveball being mixed in, Cease is becoming unhittable this season. The right-handed starter has pitched 34 innings this year with 47 strikeouts and a .161 expected opponent Batting Average (xBA) and a 1.75 expected ERA that both rank among the best in the MLB.

The White Sox entered the season with the hope that Cease or Michael Kopech could have a breakout year, giving the rotation three viable starters. Six starts into the season and the White Sox have not only found that pitcher but Cease might carry the rotation this season as well.

Even Keuchel gave White Sox a strong outing

Recently, there has been a legitimate argument to leave Dallas Keuchel out of the rotation. Keuchel is having an awful start to the season, allowing 21 runs in 21 innings pitched with the inability to effectively locate the cutter, particularly costing him.

The Red Sox batting order was poised for a big game after being eliminated in the first two games of the series. However, Keuchel arguably had his best start of the season, pitching six innings and allowing only two runs, both of which came in his final inning. Keuchel had five strikeouts and notably relied on his sinker, using the pitch for 58 of his 92 pitches.

Keuchel has been unpredictable this season and it’s unclear how he will be relied on in the rotation. However, the recent start was a reminder of how the 34-year-old veteran can control a game if he executes his pitches, especially his groundball-inducing pitches.

Make sure to check out our WHITE SOX forum for the latest on the team.

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There are signs of minor progress, only to be eliminated by a wide-ranging form of setbacks.

It’s added up to a five-game losing streak for the Cubs, whose mission of working out of their current abyss becomes more ominous with a three-game trip at San Diego starting Monday night.

Sunday night’s 7-1 loss to the Dodgers captured many of their struggles that have led to their 9-18 record.

Any chance of averting a three-game series sweep was deflated by the loss of Marcus Stroman, their best starting pitcher who was placed on the 10-day injured list with no designation.

That is often reserved for players who produced a positive COVID-19 test. Without Stroman, who allowed two earned runs in his last 13 innings and blanked the Brewers over seven innings in his last start, the Cubs were forced to start left-hander Justin Steele, who was originally scheduled to pitch Monday night.

Steele pitched four innings of three-hit ball but left after warming for the fifth due to left thumb soreness, the team announced.

The loss of Stroman and Steele’s ailment creates more concern for a rotation that has struggled to pitch past the fifth inning. The Cubs haven’t named a starter for Tuesday and Wednesday against the Padres. And following Thursday’s day off, they are scheduled to play 14 consecutive games without a day off.

As for the offense, they were harnessed by Walker Buehler, who threw seven innings of four-hit ball and didn’t allow a runner to advance past first base after the third.

The Cubs scored three runs in this three-game series, although their offensive struggles can’t be attributed to a lack of effort.

Willson Contreras disclosed after Saturday’s doubleheader loss that the players have shared information on opposing pitchers after each at-bat on a frequent basis.

Seiya Suzuki, who was 2-for-18 with eight strikeouts on this five-game homestand, was looking at a tablet after one of his at-bats Sunday.

“I think over the course of six months, whether things are good, bad or in-between, the relationships with people around you is going to carry you through that and making it enjoyable as well,’ Hoerner said. “We’re lucky to have good people around here.”

Contreras provided some short-lived hope when he smacked a meaty 0-2 pitch into right field to score Rafael Ortega for a 1-0 lead and causing Buehler to yell several times.

But Buehler (4-1) allowed three baserunners the rest of the way in lowering his ERA to 1.96. Buehler has allowed one run in his last 21 innings. Ian Happ went 0-for-4 and finished the homestand 1-for-13 with eight strikeouts.

The Cubs aren’t scheduled to face former ace Yu Darvish at Petco Park, but they need to find some formula to pull them out of this rut.

In a perfect script, Ross would have a dominant rotation, a lockdown bullpen and an offense providing quality at-bats.

That description fits a Dodgers team destined to regain the National League West title after finishing second with 106 wins in 2021.

“I know our record is not good, but we’re in most of our games,” Ross said before Sunday’s game. “I would say we’re fighting right up until the end and giving ourselves a chance. We just hadn’t had that big hit with runners in scoring position.”

Nico Hoerner, who answered questions about his ability to play dependable defense at shortstop in the first four weeks, committed his first error – a fielding miscue in the ninth that scored two runs.

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