Billy Donovan Reveals Why Coby White's Bulls Return Was Delayed

The Chicago Bulls are 3-0 on the season, despite Coby White sidelined with an injury.

Jan 10, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) talks with head coach Billy Donovan during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

There are two undefeated teams left in the Eastern Conference, and it is exactly what everyone expected, right? The Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers are each 3-0 to start the season as two of the four teams in the NBA that are still without a loss, joining the San Antonio Spurs and OKC Thunder.

The Bulls' expectations heading into the 2025-26 season were very low, although there was no doubt that they had enough pieces to potentially make a playoff push, or at a minimum, make the play-in tournament. The Bulls have started their season by beating three expected playoff teams, and they have even done it with standout guard Coby White on the sideline.

Third straight W to start the season 🔥@Plus500 | #SeeRed pic.twitter.com/WyO1PBFgf6

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 28, 2025

White has missed Chicago's first three games with a right calf injury, and the team is eagerly waiting to get him back on the floor.

What's the hold up with Coby White?

On Monday, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan explained why White has not been able to make his return to action yet, despite the standout guard not feeling pain (via Chicago Sun-Times).

"Just talking to the medical, here’s the problem: Like (White) doesn’t have any pain at all with what he’s doing," Donovan said. "He’s on the court shooting, he’s able to jog, but what ended up happening and what became a problem when we were playing competitively in practice were those stops, starts, quick explosiveness that maybe he’s not doing a lot of that in individual workout."

Apr 6, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) drives to the basket against the Charlotte Hornets during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-Imagn Images | Nell Redmond-Imagn Images

Especially since the Bulls are already 3-0 on the season, there is no reason to rush White back from injury. There are still 79 games left for White to play in, and pushing him back on the floor this early could do much more damage than anything.

"If he plants the wrong way or steps, that explosive step is what got him and then he felt the tightness again," Donovan continued. "You don’t want to take that to an extreme where you have him push through it and then he really misses a lot more time. It’s a real hard balancing act."

The Bulls' medical team is right to play it safe with White, and while there is no doubt he would love to be out on the court with his guys, it is the safe decision to keep him out.

On October 20, the Bulls announced that White would be reevaluated in two weeks, meaning he will likely still be sidelined for Chicago's next three games.