Coby White’s shot selection is incentive-based.
He revealed that after the Bulls’ impressive 124-118 victory Saturday against the Pelicans in which he scored 28 of his season-high 31 points in the second half.
But it’s not some monetary motivation.
No, it’s much simpler than that.
“If I don’t shoot it, I get cussed out,” White said. “So I might as well shoot it.”
Shoot it, he did, and not one coach or teammate was about to utter a foul word in his direction.
With Zach LaVine again sidelined with a sore right foot, White picked up the scoring slack and added nine rebounds and six assists to help the Bulls (7-14) to their first winning streak of the season.
No wonder the United Center crowd was chanting, “Coby, Coby.’’
“I heard it; I’m super-appreciative of it,” White said. “We just have to build on this. We’ve just got to compete.”
And soon. The front office has to make some hard decisions about the roster by January. White can help that process one way or the other.
“Is [White] the purest of point guards? No. Is he the purest of [shooting] guards? No. But he’s a basketball player, and he’s a competitor, and he wants to win,’’ coach Billy Donovan said.
“That’s really important to him. I really admire that about him.”
Donovan also admires the Pelicans’ Zion Williamson.
While the Bulls were welcoming back DeMar DeRozan from a sore ankle, they also were looking to slow down the muscle of the Pelicans’ engine.
Williamson came into the showdown with the Bulls after scoring 25 points or more in six of his previous seven games. The Pelicans went 6-1 in that span. No wonder Donovan had his concerns.
“[Williamson’s] game is what it is,” Donovan said. “The more experience young players get, the better off they are. He looks a lot more seasoned than he was a couple of years ago.’’
But Williamson was held to one point in the first quarter, and the Bulls held a 32-29 lead.
He finally woke up, scoring 10 in the second quarter, and the Bulls limped into the locker room at halftime — literally.
After playing just over 12 minutes in the first half, guard Alex Caruso was ruled out for the rest of the game with a sore left toe.
No worries. White was just getting started.
The game began to turn in the third quarter when White made two free throws, then connected on a 26-footer 30 seconds later. The green light was on.
White had 16 points in the third, going 4-for-5 from three-point range. He also set a franchise record, becoming the first Bull to make at least three three-pointers in eight consecutive games.
But maybe his best play of the night — or at least the one that showed how committed he is to turning the Bulls’ slow start around — was when he took a charge from Williamson near the end of the third. That was 285 pounds — on a good day — into White’s chest.
White had to squat a few times trying to get his wind in the aftermath, but it was a temporary setback on his night. In the fourth quarter, White continued his scoring binge and also made three beautiful passes, including an alley-oop to Patrick Williams that all but iced the game with 20.1 seconds left.
“I know Pat is so athletic that if I throw it anywhere near the rim, he’ll get it,” said White, who finished 8-for-13 from three-point range.
