UNC Basketball: Coby White gets double-double, but Bulls fall to Nuggets

Former UNC basketball one-and-done Coby White notches double-double in Bulls’ loss to Nuggets

Chicago Bulls second-year point guard Coby White notched his third double-double of the season when he scored 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in a 112-108 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday night.

White, who’s now recorded double-doubles in two of his past four games, hit 7-of-17 shots on the night, and 2-of-7 from three-point range. He also knocked down all four of his free throw attempts, and dished out three assists.

He’s now scored at least 19 points in five consecutive games, and in seven of his last 10. He’s also recorded at least five rebounds in seven of his last eight games, a stretch in which the 6-foot-5 guard out of North Carolina has averaged nearly 6.9 boards per contest.

His heavy usage since joining the Bulls’ starting lineup this season has remained consistent, too, as he’s logged at least 30 minutes in 13 of the team’s past 15 games. He’s averaging over 33 minutes per game in 33 appearances this season, while shooting nearly 42 percent from the floor and 35 percent from long-range. His 15.8 point-per-game average is up from the 13.2 he averaged a season ago, as are his assists (5.2 to 2.7) and rebounds (5.0 to 3.5). He’s also greatly improved his assist-to-turnover ratio despite playing far more minutes and being the team’s primary distributor.

White is the Bulls’ third-leading scorer behind All-Star shooting guard Zach LaVine and fourth-year power forward Lauri Markkanen. Despite being just 15-18 on the season, Chicago is tied for second-place in the mediocre Central Division that’s led by the underachieving Milwaukee Bucks. They’re currently 5.5 games back of first-place, and one game back of eighth-place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Check back with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on Coby White, and UNC basketball alumni throughout the NBA.