How Coby White could impact the Chicago Bulls chances vs. the Toronto Raptors in the Play-in game

The stage is set for the Chicago Bulls to either extend their season or bid it goodbye as they take on the Toronto Raptors in a do-or-die game in the first round of the NBA Play-in tournament. In that game, the Bulls' "Big Three" of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic will almost certainly get almost all of the attention from the Raptors defense. This could give an opportunity for a young role player like Coby White to make a substantial impact.

Raptors' aggressive defense

The Raptors have adopted an aggressive defensive stance when it comes to handling the Bulls' star, DeMar DeRozan. In fact, DeRozan has had a difficult time adjusting to Toronto's defensive schemes, averaging just 14 points in the three times they've faced off against one another this season.

With the Raptors sending multiple players at DeRozan and LaVine, the floor opens up for White to make plays. And despite the urgency of the upcoming encounter, White says he's staying ready to do whatever his team needs to be done.

"I'm just going to treat it like any other game. Do my same routine. Mentally stay the same—never too high, never too low. Give it my all," White said. "I don't put this game on a pedestal. I'm going to play hard if it's Game 1, Game 82, or Play-in."

"Nothing really changes for me. Stay locked in. Coaching staff has prepared us. It's been great."

Marked improvements

Playing in his fourth season, White isn't playing as much, nor does he have the ball as often. However, his decision-making, shot selection, and defense have been a lot better—improvements that aren't lost on Bulls coach Billy Donovan.

"For awhile early in his career, it was scoring. And if he wasn't scoring, there wasn't a lot of other things he was doing to impact the game," Donovan said. "He has learned a lot from his film sessions and his work about how defenses are rotating, where they're coming from. So you see him getting playmaking involved, getting downhill to finish at the rim or making a pass and generating shots for others."

"Defensively, I think he has taken on a lot of different matchups this year. And the hustle plays, the loose balls, the blockouts, things that don't show up in the stat sheet but you can see on film. That's what you what from a young player, to not be one-dimensional."