Young Point-Guards for the Phoenix Suns to consider – Coby White
This University of North Carolina reunion would be just as sweet for Cameron Johnson and Coby White as it would be for us fans. For Suns fans that aren’t aware, White is a walking bucket.
He’s been playing in Chicago for the past two seasons and I’m often left in awe witnessing his wizardry with the ball. He possesses a certain flair for the game that’s very rare and impossible to teach. I can picture him now, dropping buckets, checking in for Chris Paul as he takes his usual rest after seven minutes of action.
Even still, the ball handling is secondary for White, with his best attribute his three-point shooting. In 2021-22, the 22-year-old shot 38.5% from deep on an impressive volume at nearly six attempts a game. He’s not shy and relishes the opportunity to knock down shots.
The weakness with White is his defense and the propensity to get tunnel vision. It’s not very often, but there can be times in which he forces his shot instead of trusting in the offense and letting others make plays.
Ultimately, this isn’t a huge concern because most young guards struggle with their shot selection. I’d like to imagine playing behind one of the best point-guards to ever play would rub off and eliminate some of those bad habits.
The bigger concern with White would be his defense. The Suns have made their identity to be a team that locks down defensively and keeps the ball moving on offense. White isn’t a super bouncy guard, nor is he big and strong. His effort has to pick up tremendously on that end of the floor to create the defensive improvement that would make this trade a success.
With an injury to Lonzo Ball, there is no question that the starting point-guard for the Chicago Bulls will be Ayo Dosunmu. With the Bulls clearly not making White a priority, his name was floated around even despite being sidelined with injury for a period of last season.
Best of all, White is still on his rookie contract, making a trade for him fairly straightforward. The asking price wouldn’t be cheap necessarily, but he remains a realistic option.