CHICAGO (670 The Score) – Off the top of his head, Bulls guard Coby White can’t remember a shooting rut quite like the one he’s in now.
White is shooting 27.8% on 3-pointers in his last nine games, over which he’s 20-of-72 from behind the arc. In that same time frame, he’s averaging 13.9 points and shooting 34.1% from the field overall. And White’s struggles continued Monday, when he was 4-of-11 from the field and 2-of-6 from 3-point range in the Bulls’ 112-91 loss to the Bucks at the United Center.
“I get cold, but I ain’t never got cold like this, for as many games as it’s been,” White said. “I think it’s been like six games. I maybe had two or three or four (game stretches) and then kind of get hot and get back in rhythm. But it what it what it is. There’s ups and downs in the season. I don’t really look at it like that because I’m a career, like, 38, 39% 3-point shooter. It will all even out. It will even back out. I ain’t worried about it.”
The 24-year-old White, a career 36.6% 3-point shooter to be exact, has battled ankle and groin ailments this season, though he wasn’t on the injury report Monday. It’s a routine sight to see him icing ice his ankles in the postgame locker room as he begins his work to recover.
Even so, White’s shooting slump is beginning to define his season in a way he doesn’t want. He’s shooting 35.8% on 3-pointers for the season, which is a hair below league average. His true shooting percentage is 56.5, which is a bit below his marks of the past two seasons. White’s player efficiency rating of 13.2 (a metric in which 15 is league average) and win shares per 48 minutes are also down from 2023-’24.
Given that the Bulls are second in the NBA in pace and second in 3-point attempts per game in a revamped up-tempo playing style, the logical path forward for White remains to keep firing away when he has good looks. He was only a sliver of the Bulls’ shooting woes Monday, when they shot 40% overall and 10-of-48 on 3-pointers (20.8%) in a dismal performance against a Bucks team that was missing star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and star guard Damian Lillard due to injuries.
“Coby is one of the most confidence dudes I’ve played with,” Bulls guard Zach LaVine said. “He’s in the gym every day. Whether a couple shots don’t go in or out, Coby plays hard every game. I don’t think that messes with his mindset at all. This is a guy that’s multiple 30s (point games), a 40-point game in the play-in game. There’s ups and downs throughout the NBA season. I think we’ll all be OK.”
The Bulls dropped to 13-17 with their loss to the Bucks and are sitting in ninth place in the East. They’ll visit the Hawks on Thursday evening.
“I feel good,” White said when asked about the state of the team. “I know a lot of y’all didn’t have us there to be 13-17 at this time. A lot of people didn’t, but we believe in each other. Every guy in this locker room wants to win. Like I said, there’s going to be ups and downs. But I think we’re in a good spot. We’re building an identity. I think we’re playing to it mostly every night.”
Cody Westerlund is an editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.