Bulls guard Coby White building a rhythm in games turned 'track meet'

ATLANTA – It was the best personal trainer Coby White could visit on Sunday.

Better yet? Free of charge.

The Hawks entered the afternoon tilt the fifth-ranked team in pace, while White’s own Bulls team was second in that category.

What that meant for White? Tie up the laces tight and get ready to run – defense optional. Just what he needed.

The 152-150 win in Atlanta still wasn’t vintage White. At least not the White that post-All-Star break last year finished averaging 24.5 points per game, while shooting 49.4% from the field in 26 regular-season games, but it was progress.

White scored 11 of his 21 points in the deciding fourth quarter, which was his fourth 20-plus point game in his last five starts. By the way, the Bulls (13-15) were 4-1 in those games.

All good numbers for the guard, but that’s also why he was sitting at his locker afterward more than feeling it.

“This game, I ain’t gonna lie, the first couple minutes I remember I came to the bench and one of our assistants, J.B. (John Bryant) was like, ‘Man, this game is a track meet.’ I said, ‘You have no idea,’ “ White said. “So I knew from the jump it was going to be one of those games.”

Just what the Donovan ordered.

Because of a right calf injury suffered in late August, White missed all the late-summer scrimmages, training camp, the preseason and a handful of regular-season games. Even when he returned it was on a minutes restriction, again slowed when he had to then sit with a strained left calf. So for White, who is regarded as the face of the team, running with the Bulls hasn’t come easy.

The numbers showed it, as he entered the Sunday contest shooting 21.2% from three in the month of December, averaging just 18.7 points per game. He’s also averaging a career-worst of 2.8 turnovers per game.

“As fast as the league is playing and as we’ve tried to play, I do think he’s got to catch up physically to get in better shape,” coach Billy Donovan said. “I do think the conditioning part, the timing and the rhythm, I do think he’s got to get back. The more he plays consistently and we don’t have the situations where he’s been in and out, so if he can consistently – knock on wood – stay healthy, I think his stamina and endurance will come back.”

It needs to with White estimating it at about 80%.

“This is one of those games that helped me for sure in terms of my conditioning,” White said. “We’re like the two fastest teams in the NBA, so I was tired.”

He also had to be feeling a bit stressed.

As well as the Bulls played offensively, they missed key free throws down the stretch to give the Hawks life. After Jalen Johnson made a three-pointer with 5.9 seconds left to cut the lead to one, Matas Buzelis had the chance to go to the free throw line and add to his team-high 27 points. He split them, however, to give the Hawks one more chance with 4.2 seconds left.

Atlanta’s Trae Young tried to draw the foul with his 16-footer, but no basket, no call.

A nice escape in a game in which the Bulls finished with nine players in double figures and 41 assists as a team.

And for White another workout that he needed.

“I’m still trying to get it back,” White said. “I’ve never not had a training camp and preseason so my agents kind of warned me about it. It’s different because everybody else is way ahead of you in that area conditioning-wise.”