Chicago Bulls: 3 players facing most pressure in 2019-20
3. Denzel Valentine
The Chicago Bulls selected Denzel Valenine with the 14th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. The primary reason why Valentine was on the team’s radar was his versatility. During his senior campaign at Michigan State, he compiled averages of 19.2 points, 7.8 assists and 7.5 rebounds per contest. He also shot 40.8 percent from 3-point range during his time with the Spartans.
In his rookie season with the Bulls though, Valentine had his fair share of struggles. With the likes of Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade on the roster, Valetine struggled in the role of a spot-up shooter. In fact, he averaged just 5.1 points per contest on slash lines of .354/.351/.778.
During his second year with the Bulls, Valentine improved in several categories. He doubled his scoring output. Both his overall shooting (41.7 percent) and 3-point shooting (38.6 percent) improved as well. On the heels of a breakout campaign, Valentine was expected to become a fixture in the rotation heading into last season.
Denzel Valentine doubled his averages in nearly every major statistical category this season. Let's take a look at some of his best highlights: pic.twitter.com/8hZbTL9koe
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) May 10, 2018
Unfortunately, Valentine was forced to miss the entire season following surgery on his left ankle. This marked the third time in which Valentine has needed surgery on the same ankle.
As one would expect, there are concerns about his durability after missing 25 games in his rookie season and the entire 82-game slate in this third NBA season. Can he stay healthy? Can he take the next step after being off the court for a year?
It will be interesting to see if Valentine will be able to carve out a niche in a somewhat loaded backcourt.