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Coby White’s strong preseason debut of 14 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals in a team-high 23 minutes moved beyond the box score.
The game continued to display the growth and confidence White has as a leader.
This process began last year, when White became a more boisterous personality inside the locker room in front of reporters and, behind the scenes, a more vocal presence.
“Being a young guy, you fall into this thing of, ‘I’m young.’ Especially on a team full of guys are older who have won, been in the playoffs a bunch of times. AC [Alex Caruso] has been a champion. You get that mindset of, ‘They have more experience than me. They know more than me. My opinion doesn’t matter,’” White said following Tuesday’s practice at the Advocate Center. “I didn’t know how much guys respected my opinion---and my connection with every guy on the team---until last year. I’m continuing to grow into it. And it feels natural for me at this point.”
It's showing.
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“I’m really happy with him,” coach Billy Donovan said. “He always looks at himself internally with how he can get better. There’s a defiance to him. And I say that in the most respectful way. He’s not defiant to coaching. He’s not defiant to his teammates. He’s defiant to figuring something out.
“He’s never going to quit. He’s going to look at ways to improve. I think every aspect of his game, he’s gotten better. I think he’s gotten a lot more cerebral and has a better understanding than when he was a rookie, which is normal. And I think he has found his voice. He has no problem saying something when guys aren’t doing something the right way.
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“My first year here, he was probably trying to figure things out and didn’t have a lot to say. Winning is important to him. Leading is important to him. If he continues to flourish in those areas, it will serve him and our team well.”
Beyond his natural maturation that happens when you enter the NBA as a teenager and now have four seasons of myriad experiences behind him, White credited assistant coach Chris Fleming and Zach LaVine for helping him find his voice.
“He’s been with me personally since I got drafted,” White said of Fleming. “He always believed in me no matter what. But he also didn’t just tell me what I wanted to hear. He told me what I needed to hear. And he always pushed me to be more vocal.
“At the beginning, when he was saying be more vocal, I was thinking more (on the court terminology). But as I got older, it’s more about being a leader and commanding the team, talking to guys.”
White and LaVine represent the only two players the current managerial regime inherited from the previous regime. Both have signed new deals since the managerial change. So their bond is real.
“Zach has seen me grow up in the NBA. He’s been here since I got drafted. Me and him, our relationship goes beyond basketball. I’m grateful for that relationship,” White said. “He has always believed in me and pushed me and given me confidence.
“He sensed, since we’ve been here the longest, when I’m down or when I’m up. When things were tough for me, he would always come to me and say little stuff like, ‘Keep your head, bro. You’re good. Remember how talented you are and what got you here.’ He’s always been like a big brother to me and someone, honestly, that I look up to. Not only on the basketball court but how he lives his life---how he takes care of his son. He’s someone I can go to in a time of need.”
LaVine noted how White often is already at the Advocate Center on the nights LaVine returns for extra work.
“Hard work doesn’t fail. So you’re gonna see the progress,” LaVine said. “I think he’s just really confident right now. He’s playing well. He’s moving and acting like this is what I want to do. He’s confident in that role. And we’re supporting him.”
That role, at least in the preseason opener, is starting point guard. It’s a position White held before, during his second season in the NBA. That season featured growing pains, but White stayed the course.
And while the starting point guard competition is nowhere near over, White knows what claiming it would mean.
“I was talking to my brother the other day and it’s like, there aren’t many times you get multiple opportunities to become a starter in this league,” White said. “I started my second year and haven’t started since. For me, it’s just trying to take advantage of it and don’t take it for granted. It’s a blessing.”
