Coby White cherishes chances of winning Most Improved Player award: "It would mean a lot to me"

Coby is aiming to become the first Bull since Jimmy Butler in 2015 to win this trophy.

© David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Coby White has built a case to win this season's Most Improved Player award. The fifth-year Chicago Bulls guard is currently averaging career-best in points (19.6), assists (5.3), rebounds (4.8), field goal shooting (45.5%) and three-point efficiency (38.7%) this season which makes him a candidate for the MIP.

COBY WHITE IS A BAD MAN.

37 pts | 5 reb | 7 ast | 14-19 FG pic.twitter.com/FQHYwGDj5d

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 5, 2024

A special honor for his hard work and dedication

Although he prefers to talk about team success, Coby isn’t shying away from the possibility of winning the Most Improved Player trophy. For the 24-year-old, gaining the recognition is a feat that honors the hard work and dedication he poured throughout the years of his career.

“It would mean a lot to me,” White said. “Just to show the progress I’ve made and to set the example to younger guys around the NBA that people can count you out and say what you want about you. But as long as you stay true to who you are, keep working and stay humble throughout, things can come your way.”

Rome wasn't built in a day

As it is, White didn’t enter the NBA in 2019 as a generational talent or an established star. It took him four years filled with ups and downs to finally achieve a dream individual season. By winning the MIP, Coby is aiming to use it as a platform to show that success takes time and patience to develop.

“I think everybody develops at their own pace. Some guys come in and are already super talented. Like Luka (Doncic), Trae Young and those guys come in and impact the game instantly,” White said. “I feel like everybody has their own story, their own journey and run their own race. I feel like my race was different than everybody else’s.

“I want to continue to provide the example that I’m in Year 5 and I’m still continuing to get better. I feel like in the NBA that if you’re a lottery pick or high pick in the first round and you’re not an All-Star in the first two years, then you’re a bust. That’s how I feel like everyone looks at it in today’s NBA. But I wanted to get better and stay on the right track.”

Coby White surpasses his career-high in points scored at the very location where he first set this record