UNC Basketball: Coby White’s big night moves him past former Blue Devil

A former UNC basketball player moved ahead of a celebrated Blue Devil on Wednesday night.

Following his best overall performance of the past two months, Chicago Bulls point guard Coby White put together the most dynamic game of his 2021-22 campaign on Wednesday night. In doing so, White, the former Tar Heel one-and-done, moved past former Duke Blue Devil and 15-year NBA veteran, Luol Deng.

Deng was 10th on the Bulls’ all-time three-pointers list with 387 over 10 seasons with the organization prior to White’s mid-week game against Sacramento. The half-dozen treys that White knocked down in a 125-118 victory over the Kings gave him 389 in just his third professional season.

And it wasn’t just White’s long-range shooting that stood out in what will easily be talked about as his best game since early 2021. It was everything he did during his season-high 40 minutes on the court.

White totaled a season-best 31 points on 11-of-19 shooting for the game and 6-of-11 beyond the arc. He also converted 3-of-4 attempts at the free throw line to go along with six assists and five rebounds.

It marked the third consecutive game in which White has recorded at least five assists, and the fourth straight game he’s pulled down at least five rebounds. White has connected on a team-high 24 three-pointers during the Bulls’ current five-game winning streak. He’s shooting an astronomical 53.5 percent from long-range in the month of February.

Along with celebrating his best game in a long time, White was also celebrating his 22nd birthday on Wednesday. It’s his age, in addition to what I still consider a pretty high ceiling, that makes White a valuable asset for the Bulls or any other NBA organization, despite the injury that set him back to begin the season.

Regardless, there are those that still doubt White’s abilities and potential, and there is obviously a chance that he won’t be a member of the Bulls organization next season. But it’s performances like this that remind the league that a shooter of his caliber is an important piece to a successful modern-day NBA offense.

For more on Coby White and UNC basketball alumni throughout the NBA, check back with Keeping It Heel.