Bulls first-round pick Coby White flashes some playmaking in debut

LAS VEGAS — Coby White checked some boxes in the playmaking department.

The Bulls rookie didn’t check them all, but he did enough in his Summer League debut, a 96-76 victory against the Lakers on Friday, to feel like improvement was made, but he acknowledged that he still has a long way to go.

White, selected with the 7th overall pick in the June draft, finished with 17 points, despite shooting 0-for-7 from beyond the three-point line. He also had three assists.

He did have three turnovers in his 30 minutes and admitted after the game that he’s a work in progress as an NBA point guard.

“I feel like I played solid,’’ White said. “I made some good reads, couldn’t hit a three to save my life, but I played solid. All that matters is we got our first win, so that’s all that matters.’’

White did say that he knows there are some knocks on his game coming out of North Carolina, specifically his court vision and playmaking. So that was on his mind.

“I mean yeah, for sure, but I come in just thinking, ‘Play my game. Play an all-around game,’ ’’ White said. “I feel like I showed that I’ve improved in my court vision and my playmaking, so it’s part of my game. I’m improving on it, I’m working on it, but I’ve got a long ways to go.’’

The coaching staff, including coach Jim Boylen, is making sure he understands that.

“Just getting reps up in the gym, and in practice just getting reps up,’’ White said of his plan for improvement. “I’ve been in Chicago for some time now, so I’ve been working out a lot with the coaching staff, and they’ve been helping me for a while. So it’s been good. It’s everything . . . film work. I watch film with Coach. And then on the court, just making reads, man. Just playing. You get to the paint, there’s a lot more space in the league, so I feel like it’s easier than college for me.’’