Yesterday the Chicago Bulls achieved a hard-fought victory, their third in a row, against the Golden State Warriors. But beyond the final result and Stephen Curry’s injury, the game had another story. The reunion between Chris Paul and Coby White, who played on the team of the future hall of famer on the AAU circuit and is now experiencing the best moment of his career. So much so that, for some time now, he is establishing himself as one of the main candidates for the Most Improved Player (MIP). CP3 is clear. “He better win it,” said the Warriors player after the match.
It was the first time that both saw each other this season, since Paul was absent in the game they played in January. White saw it as a special opportunity to bring his entire family to the pavilion. “I was very happy to see Coby’s family, they are like my family too,” says Paul. The two have had a close relationship for years and share training sessions in the summer back in their native North Carolina. «It’s fun to play against him. The times I stayed defending him I knew he wasn’t going to pass the ball because he wants to have material to throw at me next summer,” jokes the veteran.
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«He deserves everything. He has always been a hard worker. But the way he worked last summer was different. His ball handling has improved a lot. He is performing night after night, and that is when you earn the respect of the entire league,” he points out. White’s improvement goes beyond the numbers. But, taking a look at them, the evolution is undeniable.
After a valley season, probably his worst in the NBA when the context seemed to demand a step forward, the point guard has recovered to leave a statistical line of 19.7 points, 5.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds with 45% in field goals and 39% from three-point range. All career highs. Figures that, unlike in other stages, are not the result of the variation between long nights and days of blackout, but rather the result of having achieved consistency.
(Cover photo by Tim Heitman/Getty Images)
2024-03-08 16:39:45
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