Chicago Bulls: 3 bold predictions for 2019-20 NBA season

3. Denzel Valentine will be a key contributor

To say that Denzel Valentine hasn’t had an easy time in the NBA would be an understatement. One of the reasons why the Chicago Bulls selected the former Michigan State Spartan with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft was because of his versatility.

After all, he was coming off a senior campaign in which he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.8 assists per contest.

In his first year with the Bulls though, Valentine was nearly the forgotten man in the rotation.

With several players ahead of him on the depth chart — namely Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler — Valentine struggled to make an impact, posting averages of 5.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per contest of slash lines of .354/.351/.778.

The following season, Valentine played well, to say the least. He doubled up his scoring output (10.2 points per game) and rebounding (5.2 rebounds) from his rookie season and he nearly tripled his assists average as well.

Additionally, Valentine’s shooting efficiency improved, as he shot 41.7 percent overall and 38.6 percent from the beyond the arc.

But just when it appeared that Valentine was turning the corner, he was forced to miss the entire 2018-19 season after reconstructive surgery on the left ankle that has given him problems since joining the Bulls.

Despite sitting out an entire season, Valentine has proven that he can produce when given a larger role, and because of that fact, I’m predicting that he will be a key rotational player for the Bulls next season.