Coby White is entering the 2019 NBA Draft after a fantastic freshman season at the University of North Carolina. White is being looked at as either the second or third rated point guard in this class behind Ja Morant and shows skill level similar to Darius Garland.
Coby White Shows Similar Traits to Gilbert Arenas
Coby White College Career
White was heavily recruited and the 247 sports composite had him ranked in the top 25 and as the number three shooting guard in the country. Coby White was a scoring machine in high school. He graduated as the all-time leader in points in North Carolina high school basketball history. Once he stepped foot on campus however, White would need to learn how to play point guard. Coby White had a great season, but it wasn’t without some bumps in the road. His first game against the Wofford Terriers, he made only three of 10 shots and finished with just 8 points. White saw a steady improvement throughout the year. He started to become more comfortable in his role as a point guard and as a result, the Tar Heels got better. White finished the season averaging 16.1 points per game, 4.1 assists per game, and 3.5 rebounds per game.
Coby White Strengths
Coby White has elite size and length for the point guard position standing at 6’5”. On top of his elite size, he has great speed. He is a blur in the open floor. The pace that the Tar Heels played at allowed him to showcase his speed and quickness. His first step is one of the best in this draft, which allows him to get by his man consistently. White is someone who can score at all three levels and showed he can knock in the NBA three. He attempted over 70 shots from NBA range and hit on 42 percent of those attempts.
Coby White Weaknesses
Although White showed improvement throughout his freshman season at North Carolina, he still has some work to do as a point guard. Point guard-needy teams will need to realize the current version of Coby White is that of a combo guard. He struggles with distribution and seeing the floor at times. He is often late with his anticipation and the passing lane closes by the time he recognizes the play. White shot a respectable percentage from three-point range but needs to be more consistent. His shot, often times, is flat, so he’ll need to improve on his form to get more consistency. He has also shown lapses on the defensive end at times. With his size, length, and quickness, he should be a pest defensively. Once he fully commits on the defensive end, he could make all defensive teams with his tools.
Player Comparison
Coby White’s game is very similar to Gilbert Arenas; before the knee trouble. White is an elite scorer. He has the size and quickness to match Arenas and both possess a fantastic mid-range game. White has the potential to be a better version of Gilbert Arenas and that should get teams very excited. Coby White is projected to be a top ten pick.
Main image credit:
Embed from Getty Images
