Billy Donovan impressed by the fight Coby White showed versus the Sacramento Kings

"Coby was great in terms of being aggressive with the opportunities he had."

© David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

With the spotlight shining brightly on him these days, Chicago Bulls guard Coby White is showing aspects of his personality that he couldn’t show in his previous four seasons. 

After going through a rough start to his NBA career—be it due to his inconsistent play or the unclear role he previously received f—White is making strides toward becoming a consistent scorer and a reliable option for his team.

On Monday, the former Tar Heel showed incredible fight as he helped the Bulls to a stunning victory over the Sacramento Kings. Despite being down by 22 points in the third quarter, White refused to back down and instead led the charge for his team’s comeback. He finished with a career-high 37 points, displaying his impressive scoring prowess and clutch gene. His head coach, Billy Donovan, couldn’t help but praise White’s performance after the game.

A legitimate fighter

With a deficit that huge, White and the Bulls could have easily packed it up and said, “better luck next time.” But that’s not the mentality that White possesses. Behind that floppy-haired look is a tenacious competitor who refuses to quit, even when the odds are stacked against him.

“Coby’s going to fight, he’s going to do that. He’s very competitive. Coby made some great drives to the basket, some key threes. The one play got that three-point play (after the Bulls trailed 108-102 with 3:05 left just before Sabonis’ fatal sixth against White). There were a lot of big plays he made,” Donovan shared.

“You can’t expect DeMar to carry it all the time, and he (DeRozan) carried his weight in that second half certainly. But I thought Coby was great in terms of being aggressive with the opportunities he had.”

Coby White is one of only six NBA players this season to get 35 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 threes on 70% FG in a game this season.

(Doncic, Curry, Brunson, Banchero, Ingram) pic.twitter.com/Ig8Gw0LF62

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 5, 2024

Bulls responded well

Make no mistake: Chicago had a huge mountain to climb against a Kings squad that was firing on all cylinders. However, the Bulls persevered and responded well to the adversity they faced.

It was a team effort, with contributions from both veterans and young players alike, which greatly pleased Donovan.

“Guys just were all about about trying to fight and compete, and I give them a lot of credit because there were several runs in the game we had to respond to. Then obviously, starting that third quarter the way they jumped on us and we had to fix some things coverage-wise and the guys responded well. We’ve had some situations where this group continued to fight, which I respect,” Donovan remarked.

22-POINT COMEBACK BULLS WIN. pic.twitter.com/o9UTSmjhzG

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 5, 2024

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