Bulls need Coby White to rekindle his game — and soon

NEW YORK — Coby White has hit the wall.

Or maybe the wall hit him.

At this point in the season, it doesn’t matter who initiated the collision. But White has to get up, find an extra gear and get back to being a special player for the Bulls’ last eight regular-season games.

That’s the challenge in front of him, one his organization believes he’ll meet.

“He’s never really been a complainer or a guy who makes excuses, and that’s one thing I admire and respect a great deal about him,” coach Billy Donovan said. “I do think for Coby, as we come to the end of the year, this has been really great for him and his growth this year. He’s starting to see what it’s like to be an elite player in this league, and the thing it comes down to is the guy’s consistency in terms of putting the ball in the basket.

“Just knowing him and the competitor he is, the fighter he is, it’s not going to [keep going] like this.”

The Bulls had better hope not.

An injured right hip cost White three games in March, but his actual decline was apparent after the All-Star break. Blame fatigue with the heavy minutes he was playing for the first time in his NBA career or the league simply game-planning for him with more detail — maybe both — but it was felt.

Going into the break, White was shooting 46.3% from the field and 39.7% from three-point range, including an eye-opening December and January in which he was good for 22 points per game, 48% shooting from the field and just under 40% from three.

In his 16 games since the break, White is shooting 38.3% from the field and 32.8% from three-point range.

His downturn hasn’t been limited to his scoring, either. When White is in a rhythm, he lifts the Bulls and keeps opponents on their heels with his ability to drive and kick. In victories this season, White averages 6.2 assists; in losses, the number drops to 4.5.

White has been asked about the recent rut often and likely is getting tired of the same questions, but he’s finding out that star power carries more weight, including the responsibility of dealing with the media.

“[Expletive], I don’t know,’’ White said of his performance in the Bulls’ loss Friday to the Nets. ‘‘Just trying to impact it any way I can, not try to force it. I’m just not making the shots I normally make right now.”

That’s about to change, teammate DeMar DeRozan says.

“[White is] going to be fine,” DeRozan said. “It sucks, him going down with an injury. Stuff like that can knock your rhythm off. Playing through stuff, you got to get back comfortable, get the feeling back. It’s going to come, and it’s going to come when we need it the most, and we’re going to ride that wave.”

They need to ride something.

The Bulls are holding on to that No. 9 spot for a home play-in game, but the Hawks have been winning and breathing down their necks.

Fatigue, rhythm, game plans, all of it has to be tossed aside at this point.

“Nah, we can’t have none of that,” DeRozan said. “Down to eight games, and we’re going to have to fight for our lives, so that’s going to be even more exhausting.

‘‘You gotta dig deep and know how bad we want it. Exhaustion ain’t any excuse right now.”