{"id":401,"date":"2024-10-25T22:22:31","date_gmt":"2024-10-25T22:22:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401"},"modified":"2024-10-25T22:22:31","modified_gmt":"2024-10-25T22:22:31","slug":"as-coby-whites-role-for-the-chicago-bulls-changes-yet-again-hes-balancing-frustration-with-focus-youve-got-to-sacrifice-something-to-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401","title":{"rendered":"As Coby White\u2019s role for the Chicago Bulls changes yet again, he\u2019s balancing frustration with focus: \u2018You\u2019ve got to sacrifice something to win\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

MILWAUKEE \u2014 Fiserv Forum holds a quietly important place in Coby White\u2019s career.<\/p>\n

Two and a half years ago, White sat at his locker in Milwaukee feeling helpless. The Chicago Bulls had just fumbled through the final loss of a 4-1 gentleman\u2019s sweep by the Bucks in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. White had barely made an impact in the game \u2014 barely, if he was honest, made an impact in the entire series.<\/p>\n

It was the end of his third NBA season and his first taste of the playoffs, and White felt he hadn\u2019t lived up to his potential. So he set a new standard of expectations. He changed his workout plans and spent the next two summers reshaping himself as a ballhandler.<\/p>\n

Last season he saw that recommitment pay off as the Bulls\u2019 firmly cemented starting point guard.\u00a0He averaged 19.1 points and 5.1 assists and finished second in Most Improved Player voting in a breakout season that included a 42-point performance in a first-round play-in tournament win.<\/p>\n

But the fruits of that labor have soured quickly. White isn\u2019t starting at point guard this season. He was shifted off the ball to accommodate the arrival of Josh Giddey, a 22-year-old point guard whom the Bulls acquired in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder for Alex Caruso.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the next step White, 24, expected after the best year of his career. And as he balances his responsibilities as a leader for the Bulls, he still is reeling from being asked to shift out of his comfort zone again.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s some frustration there,\u201d White said. \u201cThat\u2019s kind of what I worked toward my whole life. But winning takes sacrificing. You\u2019ve got to sacrifice something to win. So if this sacrifice \u2014 me being off the ball more \u2014 if that\u2019s what it is, then I\u2019m going to have to just get used to it and try to maneuver it.\u201d<\/p>\n

White at least had the chance last season to control his role. The battle for the starting point guard job was clearly marked out in the preseason.<\/p>\n

This year it wasn\u2019t even a conversation. White said he never sat down with coach Billy Donovan or any member of the front office to discuss his new role before training camp. But he knew what was happening the moment the Bulls made the trade with the Thunder in June.<\/p>\n

Giddey was coming in as a starter. Lonzo Ball was on his way back. And White knew without asking that he would be the one asked to move off the ball \u2014 again.<\/p>\n

\"As
Bulls guard Coby White looks to pass around Pelicans guard Javonte Green in the second half Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, in New Orleans. (AP Photo\/Gerald Herbert)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where I\u2019m at my best,\u201d White said of playing the point, \u201cbut it\u2019s also where Lonzo is at his best and Josh is at his best. There\u2019s no doubt I\u2019m willing to sacrifice for the team if we translate that to winning. It\u2019s going to be a learning curve, but just like everything else, I\u2019ll figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regardless of his role on the court, White entered the offseason with one crucial goal: improving his endurance to make a broader impact this season.<\/p>\n

The previous two summers were a different type of grind for White \u2014 a daily onslaught of two- and sometimes three-a-day workouts focused on improving his on-ball skills. He wasn\u2019t worried about any type of endurance training that didn\u2019t include a ball in his hand. He needed to improve his abilities at point guard and figured those workouts were strenuous enough to prepare him for any workload.<\/p>\n

Then the 2023-24 season arrived \u2014 and White quickly realized how much he was missing. By January, he was gassed. By February, his body began to fail him, a tweaked ankle and twinged hip holding him out for short stretches. And by April, he was outlining yet another shift in his offseason plan.<\/p>\n

White\u2019s goal for the summer was simple: stretch his endurance to the breaking point. Then repeat. Then repeat again. He loaded his days with heavy cardio, utilizing a high-altitude room at his training facility in Thousand Oaks, Calif., while logging hours on the treadmill and assault bike.<\/p>\n

That emphasis on endurance became even more important with DeMar DeRozan\u2019s departure, which led the Bulls to restructure their offensive identity.<\/p>\n

White still is expected to be the secondary scorer \u2014 but he\u2019s playing off a different star, balancing out Zach LaVine\u2019s high-octane scoring rather than complementing DeRozan\u2019s midrange gam. DeRozan was methodical, slowly breaking down defenses before creating a shot or pass. LaVine plays at a much faster pace, pushing White to keep up as LaVine fires off 3s and surges downhill to the rim.<\/p>\n

White doesn\u2019t feel different now, but that\u2019s not the point. He won\u2019t know if all that offseason training paid off until January, when he hopes to feel more resilient than last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully I\u2019ll see a difference during those moments of the year,\u201d White said. \u201cThat\u2019s when it counts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lonzo Ball held out of first game of back-to-back<\/h4>\n

The Bulls held Ball out of Friday\u2019s game in Milwaukee as part of a long-term plan to manage his workload while he ramps back up from a 2\u00bd-season absence due to a left knee injury that required three surgeries.<\/p>\n

Although Donovan has not ruled out the possibility Ball will play in back-to-back games by the end of the season, he isn\u2019t expected to play on consecutive nights for the first few months.<\/p>\n

With Ball ruled out Friday, he is set to play his first regular-season game at the United Center since January 2022 in Saturday\u2019s home opener against the Thunder. He will continue to be restricted to 14 to 16 minutes for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After a breakout season at point guard for the Chicago Bulls, Coby White was shifted off the ball to accommodate the arrival of Josh Giddey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":402,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\nAs Coby White\u2019s role for the Chicago Bulls changes yet again, he\u2019s balancing frustration with focus: \u2018You\u2019ve got to sacrifice something to win\u2019 - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"As Coby White\u2019s role for the Chicago Bulls changes yet again, he\u2019s balancing frustration with focus: \u2018You\u2019ve got to sacrifice something to win\u2019 - News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After a breakout season at point guard for the Chicago Bulls, Coby White was shifted off the ball to accommodate the arrival of Josh Giddey.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-10-25T22:22:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/01-2024-10-26T052215.327.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MsHan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MsHan\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401\",\"name\":\"As Coby White\u2019s role for the Chicago Bulls changes yet again, he\u2019s balancing frustration with focus: \u2018You\u2019ve got to sacrifice something to win\u2019 - News 365\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/01-2024-10-26T052215.327.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-10-25T22:22:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-10-25T22:22:31+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f09359787389175562194e1ac16d5c2a\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/01-2024-10-26T052215.327.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/01-2024-10-26T052215.327.png\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":1080},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"As Coby White\u2019s role for the Chicago Bulls changes yet again, he\u2019s balancing frustration with focus: \u2018You\u2019ve got to sacrifice something to win\u2019\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"News 365\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f09359787389175562194e1ac16d5c2a\",\"name\":\"MsHan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6b5d5395174488a4ed6e967c89fcc43e593f72ab35b7650fb9fd4cfd4250bbe3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6b5d5395174488a4ed6e967c89fcc43e593f72ab35b7650fb9fd4cfd4250bbe3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MsHan\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?author=3\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"As Coby White\u2019s role for the Chicago Bulls changes yet again, he\u2019s balancing frustration with focus: \u2018You\u2019ve got to sacrifice something to win\u2019 - News 365","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"As Coby White\u2019s role for the Chicago Bulls changes yet again, he\u2019s balancing frustration with focus: \u2018You\u2019ve got to sacrifice something to win\u2019 - News 365","og_description":"After a breakout season at point guard for the Chicago Bulls, Coby White was shifted off the ball to accommodate the arrival of Josh Giddey.","og_url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401","og_site_name":"News 365","article_published_time":"2024-10-25T22:22:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/01-2024-10-26T052215.327.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"MsHan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MsHan"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401","name":"As Coby White\u2019s role for the Chicago Bulls changes yet again, he\u2019s balancing frustration with focus: \u2018You\u2019ve got to sacrifice something to win\u2019 - News 365","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/01-2024-10-26T052215.327.png","datePublished":"2024-10-25T22:22:31+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-25T22:22:31+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f09359787389175562194e1ac16d5c2a"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/01-2024-10-26T052215.327.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/01-2024-10-26T052215.327.png","width":1080,"height":1080},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=401#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"As Coby White\u2019s role for the Chicago Bulls changes yet again, he\u2019s balancing frustration with focus: \u2018You\u2019ve got to sacrifice something to win\u2019"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/","name":"News 365","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f09359787389175562194e1ac16d5c2a","name":"MsHan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6b5d5395174488a4ed6e967c89fcc43e593f72ab35b7650fb9fd4cfd4250bbe3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6b5d5395174488a4ed6e967c89fcc43e593f72ab35b7650fb9fd4cfd4250bbe3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MsHan"},"url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?author=3"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=401"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":403,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401\/revisions\/403"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}