The Real Coby White Finally Showed Up for the Hornets

Since the trade and once Coby White finally got healthy, the Charlotte Hornets hadn't seen the best version of him. His audition to be re-signed this offseason wasn't off to the most sparkling start through his first handful of contests.

He had been good, but not great. He was a positive contributor and an improvement over Collin Sexton, but the Hornets envisioned more when they sent Sexton and a few second-round picks to the Chicago Bulls.

Last night, in a borderline must-win contest against the Miami Heat, the Hornets finally saw what they'd been truly waiting for. White was excellent off the bench, scoring in droves (including 11 straight points once) and driving the offense.

Charlotte Hornets guard Coby White (3) drives in against Sacramento Kings forward/guard DeMar DeRozan | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

All in all, he had 24 points (8/15 shooting), three three-pointers made, three rebounds, and three assists in just 20 minutes. He was +3 on the night, too. It was his highest scoring output since coming to Charlotte.

White hasn't been the superstar addition we all had imagined at the trade deadline, but he remains an upgrade over Sexton as well as a better fit for the offense. And last night, it all came to fruition.

The Hornets are strangely deep after spending so many years trying and failing to field an NBA-level bench. Now, players like Grant Williams, Josh Green, and White are thriving off the bench.

Williams, Green, and White have three of the five best (excluding Antonio Reeves, who has played just over an hour of real on-court minutes) net ratings on the team.

Charlotte Hornets guard Coby White (3) shoots in the first half in front of San Antonio Spurs forward Carter Bryant | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

White has the third-best offensive rating with the Hornets, behind just LaMelo Ball and Moussa Diabaté. The former Bull has the second-best Player Impact Estimate, just 0.3 behind Ball for the team lead.

All the underlying metrics have been good since White came over. He's been good, but last night, things really came together. The Hornets used a string of runs to help put distance between themselves and the Heat, responding with several quick bursts to extend a lead that had dwindled.

White was a big part of that, and he was a big reason they won a crucial game. Moving forward, this is the version of the guard the Hornets need to see more often. If that happens, they become just a little bit more dangerous should they make it into the playoffs.

Speaking of, if the Hornets are going to make up the few games separating them from the sixth seed, then they'll need this version of White, too.

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter for the latest news and updates on the Charlotte Hornets