Less than a month ago, this writer described Coby White’s struggles as he transitioned into the alpha scoring option. After five straight 20-plus point performances spanning from January 31 to February 8, White hit a major shooting slump. Over the Bulls’ next six games, the 25-year-old guard averaged 12.8 points while shooting 34.5 percent from the floor.

White’s subpar stretch coincided with the aftermath of Zach LaVine’s departure at the trade deadline. Chicago exchanged LaVine’s 24.0 points per game for 16.9 from a triumvirate of players. While second-leading scorer and starting center Nikola Vucevic was retained through the deadline, White became the de facto leading backcourt scoring option.

White struggled in February, while Giddy stepped up

As mentioned, early returns were not promising. White struggled mightily with his efficiency. He continued to hoist shots but was wildly unsuccessful. Coincidentally, White’s backcourt mate, Josh Giddey, began his ascension. The 6-foot-8 guard upped his volume, simultaneously increasing his efficiency.

Since the beginning of February, Giddey has averaged 20.8 points, shooting 51.1 percent from the field and 48.7 percent from beyond the arc. He also brings a much different element to the Bulls’ offense than White as a jumbo-sized floor general. Giddey has averaged 6.8 assists since February 2 and has recorded 10-plus assists on four occasions.

Seemingly overnight, Giddey became a more important piece of Chicago’s future than White. If the 25-year-old guard isn’t scoring, his value craters—especially when his subpar shotmaking outings lead to losses. White shoots it at 40.9 percent in losses, compared to a 47.6 percent clip in victories.

White’s February cold streak couldn’t have come at a worse time. On the heels of the LaVine trade and a summer of uncertainty, it was important for White to prove his worth this season and beyond (White has one more season on his contract). While Giddey continued to impress throughout February, anticipating a contract extension, White’s late-season breakout came a bit later.

White has taken his game to new heights in March

Following his scoring slump, White broke the 20-point plateau for the first time since before the All-Star break on February 28. He dropped 24 points, shooting 8-of-19 from the floor. It wasn’t the most efficient shooting night, but it would spark a phenomenal stretch of offensive performances unbeknownst to White and the rest of us,

The North Carolina product put up 26 the following game and 25 the game after. Then, on March 6 against the Orlando Magic, White scored a career-high 44 points, including seven three-pointers. The guard converted 57.1 percent of his field goals and 46.7 percent of his triples. His hot streak didn’t stop there. From March 8 onward, White scored 21, 29, 31, 23, 26, 24, and most recently, 35 points. For the month, he’s averaging 28.4 points per game.

Perhaps the most encouraging statistic is White’s March field goal percentage. He’s shooting 48.3 percent on an insanely high volume—20.5 field goals per game. The 6-foot-5 guard averages the ninth-most field goal attempts per game in the NBA in March. White ranks seventh in field goal percentage of the 12 players to attempt 20.0 or more field goals per contest. However, he’s the third smallest of the dozen and launches the fourth-most threes.

Dissecting White’s shot diet provides an even more positive outlook on his solid yet unspectacular efficiency. White shoots more pull-ups than catch-and-shoot attempts, 5.8 to 5.4. Somehow, the sixth-year guard converts pull-ups at a higher rate (50.0 percent) than spot-ups (34.7 percent). White’s season-long numbers tell a different story, yet his March numbers articulate just how frequently he creates his own looks, which are generally tougher than catch-and-shoot opportunities.

Furthermore, only 28.0 percent of White’s looks come sans a dribble. Nearly two-thirds of Coby’s shot attempts come after three dribbles. White hoists the most shots in the 3-to-6 dribble range, where he converts an astounding 58.7 percent of such opportunities. On seven-plus dribbles, White shoots it at a 48.8 percent clip. These numbers are only slightly inflated compared to his full-season percentages.

White has done a terrific job of upping his shot volume while increasing his efficiency. Although his catch-and-shoot efficiency is substandard, it’s the least concerning. Coby has routinely drilled about 38.0 percent of his long-range attempts. Expect the law of averages to soon come into play.

Despite being written off nearly a month ago, White has done plenty to revive his value, albeit on a small sample size. He won Eastern Conference Player of the Week on March 17 and has set career-highs across the board in 2025, including points, field goals, three-pointers, and free throws. Don’t look now, but the Bulls’ backcourt of the present is also its backcourt of the future.