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2016 NBA Draft: Denzel Valentine

By Michael Whitlow

Mar 18, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Denzel Valentine (45) motions while guarded by Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders forward Perrin Buford (2) during the first half of the first round in the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Denzel Valentine (45) motions while guarded by Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders forward Perrin Buford (2) during the first half of the first round in the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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He’s not the defender that a former Michigan State Spartan (with some minor Bulls ties) is, but the Chicago Bulls have another opportunity to draft one of MSU’s brightest stars again in the NBA draft and they’d be wise to select Denzel Valentine.

The Chicago Bulls had the 29th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. This was the draft after Derrick Rose tore the ACL in his left knee and the Bulls weren’t sure when their MVP would be returning to action.

So, instead of taking soon-to-be All-Star and do-it-all forward Draymond Green late in the first round, the Bulls selected Kentucky point guard Marquis Teague, while Green was selected six picks later by the Golden State Warriors.

There were rumored reports that former Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau and former assistant Ron Adams wanted Green with the 29th pick, Teague never panned out and Green became one of the league’s best players on the league’s most dominant team four years later.

But, the Bulls have a new opportunity.

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After an underachieving 42-40 season in 2015-16 that saw the Bulls miss the postseason for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign, the Bulls find themselves back in the draft lottery (with the likely odds of getting the 14th overall pick).

There’s another do-it-all player from Michigan State that will likely be in that late lottery range for the Bulls and the front office should give serious consideration into drafting Denzel Valentine with that late-lottery selection.

Valentine, a 6’5″ (with a 6’10” wingspan, according to DraftExpress) point forward, was named the Associated Press Player of the Year in college basketball last season and became the first player in NCAA history to average 19 points (19.2), seven rebounds (7.5) and seven assists* (7.8) in a single season.

(*Assists weren’t recorded as an official stat in the NCAA until the 1983-84 season.)

In his senior season this previous year with the Spartans, Valentine racked up five(!) triple-doubles and became one of the most must-see players in the entire country with his ability to provide so much versatility on the offensive end. He was the engine that made the Big Ten Tournament champions go, and when he missed four games this season after arthroscopic knee surgery, it was clear Valentine’s absence left a gigantic hole in the MSU rotation.

Not only is Valentine a tremendous playmaker, his shooting improved over his four-year career; especially from long range. In the 2015-16 season, Valentine made 44.4 percent of his triples in 234 attempts (7.5 attempts per game). In the DraftExpress Top-100 Prospect database, only Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield made more threes this past year than Valentine.

Valentine’s advanced numbers from his senior season further show just how dominant he was as Michigan State’s main offensive weapon. Between a 29.7 player efficiency rating, a 60.8 true shooting percentage and an assist percentage of 45.8(!), he was Mr. Everything for the Spartans.

He seems too true of a Fred Hoiberg-type of prospect, doesn’t he?

Well, that’s because he is.

Valentine has good size with his height — 6’6″ in shoes, according to DX — with a solid wingspan to boot, but Valentine’s defensive abilities are lacking. (I know what you’re thinking, “OK, so he’s Doug McDermott, but he can handle the ball more!”)

With his length, Valentine can be a passable defender if you properly hide him on lesser athletic offensive players at the next level. He lacks the explosiveness and lateral quickness you’d like to see in a star prospect, but in the proper system, he can become a weapon in the NBA.

From Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress:

"A player with radically contrasting strengths and weaknesses, Valentine is likely to end up as one of the most hotly debated prospects in this draft class, as NBA teams already seem to be all over the map in how they view him. His ultimate success will likely depend on a team and coaching staff’s willingness to utilize his tremendous playmaking and shooting ability, while surrounding him with players who can help mitigate his extreme deficiencies defensively, similar to what Michigan State did. Potentially draftable anywhere from the late lottery, all the way to the end of the first round, it will be fascinating to see how Valentine’s NBA career pans out."

Overall, Valentine’s defensive impact isn’t much, but his ability to not only shoot at an efficient clip, but run an entire offense could be too good to pass for the Bulls at No. 14. Currently, DraftExpress has Valentine as their No. 17 pick (Memphis); three spots after the Bulls pick 14th.

Next: Marquese Chriss should be an option for the Bulls in this year's NBA draft

The Bulls are likely to have plenty of needs over the summer and despite Denzel Valentine not being the true athlete the Bulls need on the perimeter, he’s a combo guard with loads of talent.

He may not be the pick at No. 14 because the Bulls have big defensive needs, but he should definitely be on the Bulls’ draft board come June.

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