Has Hornets Guard Coby White Been An Improvement Over Collin Sexton?

So far with the Charlotte Hornets, Coby White hasn't played his best basketball. Off the bench, he's averaging 11.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in just 18.6 minutes. He's shooting under 40% from the field and 32.7% from three.

With the Chicago Bulls, Collin Sexton, who was traded for White, is averaging 16.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 25.1 minutes. He is shooting 49.6% from the field and 39.8% from three.

Based on those numbers, Sexton has been better, so why on Earth did the Hornets make the trade? Those numbers do not tell the whole story, though. Diving deeper, the narrative takes another shape.

Here's White's per-36 stat line:

23 ppg
6.9 apg
4.2 rpg

And Sexton's:

23.2 ppg
3.1 apg
3.0 rpg

Charlotte Hornets guard Coby White (3) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers guard Quenton Jackson (29) defends | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Aside from a slight uptick in points, White has been better across the board. What's more, his per-36 numbers are pretty similar to his 2025-26 numbers before the trade. That wasn't his best year, but it's not as if he's taken a shocking downturn with the Hornets.

Per 100 possessions, White's numbers look even better. He is averaging 31.5 points, 9.5 assists, and 6.1 rebounds. Sexton is at 30.4 points, 3.9 assists, and 4.1 rebounds. White is better across the board, including being a far better facilitator.

That's one of the biggest things the Hornets were looking for. They needed a guard who could really facilitate their offense when LaMelo Ball is on the bench. White has been that, at least much better than Sexton was.

Furthermore, it's not always about the raw production. Sometimes, it's about how the team does when a player is out there. For whatever reason, as solid as Sexton was, the Hornets were outscored by 6.3 points when he was on the floor.

When White is on the floor, the Hornets outscore their opponents by 3.2 points. Of course, this is partially about the team around him, but the Hornets' second unit is largely the same for White as it was for Sexton. White just fits better and makes the team better.

Chicago Bulls guard Collin Sexton (2) reacts to a call against the Sacramento Kings | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

For what it's worth, Sexton has been a revelation for the Bulls in that regard. The Bulls are +16.8 points when Sexton plays, which would be among the league leaders.

But unless you seriously think Sexton was going to magically produce that number with the Hornets following the trade deadline, then moving on from Sexton wasn't a mistake. He had 42 games to do that, and he wasn't.

Also, on an individual analytical level, White has been far better than Sexton was. He's got a 121.3 offensive rating, third-best on the team. Sexton's Hornets ORTG was 111.9. White's defensive rating is 111.7, a very strong figure. Sexton's was 112.5, another solid number but slightly worse.

That leaves White with a 9.6 net rating compared to Sexton's -0.5 mark. That is really significant. Now, much like the on/off splits, Sexton has been better, but not by much. His offensive rating is actually down to 106.9, but his defensive rating is better at 106.9 for a 0.5 net rating.

Sexton has improved for the Bulls, but he's still not been a better Bull than White has been a Hornet. And White has been a much better Hornet than Sexton was a Hornet. The trade was a good thing, and although White hasn't looked like the All-Star-caliber player he was in the past, he's still been a good addition.