Are Wendell Carter Jr. and Coby White the Real Core Duo?
Less than a month into the season, talk about the Bulls’ future in both the short and long term has shifted drastically. A 4–7 start doesn’t scream playoff-caliber, which the organization insisted it was as the players and coaches convened for the season. Not helping is a slow start from Lauri Markkanen and Zach LaVine’s continued game of scoring first and doing everything else second. But the first month also has seen the evolution of their two most recent top draft picks from key supporting players to players who might be worth building around.
Despite being picked seventh in drafts Bulls fans were hoping to select higher, Wendell Carter Jr. and Coby White were lauded as quality college players with serious NBA potential, and experts agreed the Bulls were right to pick the players they did when they were on the clock. After all, these players weren’t one-and-dones for nothing. But neither is able to drink legally yet, and players that young rarely are seen as franchise cornerstones unless you’re a Zion Williamson or a Luka Doncic. However, it would be remiss to think Carter and White haven’t made significant strides towards changing the conversation about them.
As expected, Carter has been the Bulls’ leader in rebounds (9.7) and blocks (1.1) a game. This is the reputation he’s always had. But he’s also improved in scoring average by nearly 3 points a game and has reached doubled figures in almost every contest. He consistently achieves double-doubles, something Bulls fans saw veterans Pau Gasol and Carlos Boozer do in the recent past, typically at power forward. That a young true center is doing this has paved the way for excitement in Bulls Nation, and he’s already matched his double-double total from last year, albeit coming off a rookie campaign that was cut short by injury.
White has not started any games and likely won’t with Tomas Satoransky holding down the point guard position. But as the only player on the roster able to create his own shot besides LaVine and someone on a hot scoring streak, he might force the starting conversation soon enough. And there’s no greater evidence than his record-setting 3-pont barrage in the fourth quarter of the Bulls’ 120–102 win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday. That Ryan Arcidiacono started celebrating while one shot was still in the air says it all about his teammates’ confidence in him.
For all the frustrations over LaVine not expanding his game or Markkanen taking a step back, there has been equal excitement surrounding Carter and White. While they have a long way to go to catch Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah as the prototype for point guard-center duos in Bulls history, they’ve become important parts of the conversation as the new decade prepares to dawn. More specifically, they’ve raised a question few probably thought to ask as the season tipped off: Are they the actual duo who will lead the Bulls to winning basketball again? Have we been focused on the wrong two guys this whole time?
It’s both a good and bad problem to have. If White and Carter are the real guys going forward, it’s nice because they’re both younger, but we might have to wait a little longer for them to mature. In that case, will the Bulls’ rebuilding period be extended for a little longer? Does at least one of LaVine and Markkanen get traded so they can add complimentary pieces for the other two or to extend them?
The easy thing to say is no one’s going to get rid of a player like LaVine as long as he’s averaging 20 points a game and is second on the team only to Satoransky in assists. Still, he needs to focus on improving his defense if he wants to be included in the conversation about the NBA’s best. He turns 25 years old March 10, so how much time does he have left to tweak his game? If he’s going to make his move, he better do it soon.
Markkanen’s case is more concerning after he was the Bulls’ best player the previous two seasons. Questions continue to mount on whether this is because he’s playing hurt or his game simply has fallen off fast. Whatever the case, he’s losing leeway fast. He’s no good to anybody if he’s not shooting well in an NBA that demands more offense than ever before.
We’ve reached a turning point in this rebuild, and we’re surprised to see it’s included a battle to see whether the so-called established duo or younger duo will lead the Bulls going forward. This is not the sort of thing that will lead to a power struggle, at least one significant enough to undermine a team still finding its footing. After all, the thing about a young team is it’s filled with players who aren’t completely sure how they fit into the NBA. The question in this case is how does this young team deal with two different duos, either one of which could be the one to alter your direction for the better?
