The Bulls have witnessed a jump in performance like this.
In 2014-15, Jimmy Butler went from being just another young, talented guy to walking away with the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award.
That season, Butler, already an elite defender, increased his scoring average by almost seven points and simply got better across the board — rebounds, assists, three-point shooting.
Guard Coby White knows the Butler story well. He even feels like he knows Butler very well.
Three weeks ago, White was surprised to see Butler guarding him in Miami to start the game. It wasn’t the only surprise, either.
“He’s got a lot of tricks when he’s on you,” White said. “You know he’s strong, but you don’t realize how strong he is until he’s guarding you.”
And now White is on the same track as Butler. He’s a serious candidate to be the second Bull to win the Most Improved Player Award in the last decade.
White’s scoring is up over eight points from last season, his assists have gone from 2.8 to 4.9 per game and his rebounding is up from 2.9 to 4.4. White is shooting a career-best 44.4% from the field and 39.6% from three-point range, and his defense has continued to improve.
There was some concern that White’s scoring would go down with Zach LaVine back in the mix, but in the first game — although LaVine did come off the bench — White was not slowed down. He scored 22 points in the victory over the Hornets, taking 12 shots, including six threes.
The next step in his evolution is improving his off-the-ball movement, making him another option in catch-and-shoot, especially when LaVine has the ball in his hands and is in the playmaking role.
“Figure out how to move without the ball more,” White said. “I need to watch more film on moving without the ball, getting into those open areas.
‘‘[Alex Caruso] does that really well, and [Jevon Carter] does it really well, finding open areas, knowing drives and where to be. I want to play off those closeouts because I feel that’s where I’m most impactful, playing off the closeouts with either catch-and-shoots or driving it and getting my playmaking involved.”
Spoken like a player who continues to -figure it out.
But he does have a lot of competition for Most Improved Player, and he’s likely looking up at a few guys.
Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers
The point guard not only has MIP locked down, but he’s an MVP candidate, as well. Haliburton is averaging 24.2 points — an improvement of just under four points from last season — and his assist numbers have been eye-opening, including back-to-back 20-plus games at the end of December.
Tyrese Maxey, 76ers
The 76ers were expected to take a step back when they traded James Harden, but Maxey’s play has helped Philadelphia maintain its contender status. He has improved his points per game by over five from last season and has gone from 3.5 assists to 6.6.
Scottie Barnes, Raptors
The third-year player is becoming the face of the Raptors, taking a jump in every category. He has become a double-double threat every game, averaging 20.9 points and 8.9 rebounds.
Alperen Sengun, Rockets
The sneaky dark-horse candidate resides in Houston. Sengun, the 16th overall pick from the 2021 draft, has gone from 14.8 points per game to 21.4 this season and is starting to stretch the floor with an improved three-point shot.
