Chicago Bulls forward Denzel Valentine believes he has what it takes to be a starter.
Chicago Bulls forward Denzel Valentine has already had an interesting career in just his second NBA season. When the Bulls took him with the No. 14 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, he was considered the next Draymond Green — a player that could impact the game in a variety of different ways.
Thanks to multiple injuries during his rookie campaign, though, Valentine was forced to settle for the role of a spot-up shooter compared to the scoring and playmaking role he had during his last season at Michigan State University.
Coming into this season, the Bulls inserted Valentine into the starting lineup while Zach LaVine was making his way back from a torn ACL injury that kept him on the shelf for nearly a year. Considering that LaVine was labeled as the centerpiece of the draft night trade between the Bulls and the Minnesota Timberwolves, someone was going to have to sacrifice their role to make room for LaVine’s return.
Being that Valentine had not established himself as being good at any one thing, combined with the fact Fred Hoiberg prefers him coming off the bench, for obvious reasons, Valentine had to settle for a reduced role once again.
This move should have squashed any further talk about Valentine being a starter. Under normal circumstances, that probably would have been the case.
However, the talk gained traction once again during the Bulls’ recent outing against their division rival, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With the future franchise cornerstones — LaVine (knee soreness), Kris Dunn (toe) and Lauri Markkanen (back spasms) — out of the lineup, it wasn’t about if the Bulls were going to lose the game, but by how much.
If the Bulls had any hopes of not being steamrolled by the playoff-bound Cavaliers, they would need someone to step up in a major way.
Ironically, the guy who elevated his game to the next level was none other than Valentine.
Playing his second highest minute total of the season (39), Valentine exploded for 34 points to go along with seven rebounds and six assists. He shot an impressive 13-for-20 from the field and connected on eight of 11 attempts from beyond the arc while finishing with a +14 rating – the highest mark of any Bulls player in that contest.
Additionally, Valentine scored 16 of the Bulls’ 29 points in the third quarter (on 6-for-7 shooting and a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range) to help trim what was a 17-point deficit down to four points heading into the fourth quarter.
Although Valentine’s efforts weren’t enough to prevent the Cavaliers from coming away with a 114-109 victory, the final outcome wouldn’t have been close if not for Valentine’s career night. As you would expect, Valentine expressed confidence in his ability to produce as a starter.
"‘‘I believe I’m a starter in this league,’’ Valentine told the Chicago Sun-Times. ‘‘I believe I can be an important piece of a team, of an NBA team. But whatever my role on the team is, what the organization wants me to do, I’ll do. But I believe I’m a starter and can contribute in major ways. I just have to keep working and getting better.”"
Based on the stats, Valentine has produced when his number is called. In 36 appearances in a reserve role, Valentine’s averages include 9.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest on 40.2 percent shooting from the floor and 36.7 percent from 3-point range.
Conversely, in 33 starts, he is averaging 10.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 43.9 percent overall and 41.8 percent from long range.
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Whether Valentine is given consideration as a starter heading into next season remains to be seen. What can be said is he is quietly becoming the player the Bulls hoped they were getting when they drafted him nearly two years ago.