What's the next step for Coby White?

Chicago Bulls fans know there's something special about Coby White .

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The Chicago Bulls have had trouble at the point guard position for the last season and a half, ever since starter Lonzo Ball went down with a knee injury. As the team and Ball himself announced that he will not be playing in the 2023-2024 season, Chicago is trying to figure out who will replace him. The answer to this will be known by the end of training camp, and the Bulls may feel confident with their prospects, especially with what they saw from four-year pro Coby White last season.

Continued progress

While a quick look at his numbers last season won't reveal it, the 6-foot-5 guard actually improved his game significantly. And that may have been why the Bulls went and inked White to a three-year contract reportedly worth $36 million. Though White averaged a career-low in points at just 9.7 per game, he showed he can decisively run the second unit or even finish with the starters. In addition, White displayed a tenacity on defense that wasn't present in his previous three seasons.

"White was showing that he could be a genuinely valuable two-way role player in the backcourt, but doing that for one season isn't enough. If White wants to become a legitimate part of the long-term plans and have a chance to carry an even bigger workload, these improvements as a defender and ball-handler must continue," Elias Schuster wrote.

Tough competition for the starting role

The point guard battle during training camp will be interesting to watch. White will certainly have his say, and so will former Milwaukee Bucks reserve Jevon Carter and Bulls incumbents Ayo Dosunmu and Dalen Terry. Carter, though, could be White's biggest competition as he possesses attributes that, on the surface, may mesh well with the "Big 3" of Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine.

White is certainly capable of handling the starting role and, if given the opportunity, can show Bulls fans exactly how much he developed as a two-way player. The bottom line is that he'll need to continue building on his strengths while also improving his handle and decision-making to secure the starting spot.