The Bulls of Summer: Denzel Valentine
On Thursday, the Chicago Bulls announced their Las Vegas Summer League roster which includes guard Denzel Valentine. The list of 11 players includes several players who are expected to play a significant role for the Bulls now and in the future along with a handful of longshots and D-League bound fringe ballers.
The Bulls will play at least five games in Las Vegas between July 9 and July 18, the first three games are already scheduled, beginning with a matchup on July 9 against the Boston Celtics.
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A lot of people may be familiar with names like Cristiano Felicio or Bobby Portis, but not everyone knows players like Jack Cooley. Over the next few days we will give you the 4-1-1 on each of the players on the Bulls roster for Summer League.
Who: Denzel Valentine
Position: Guard
Age: 22
Background: Say hello to your first-round draft pick, No. 14 overall, Chicago fans. Valentine fell partially because of limitations in his game and injury concerns. Mostly, it was injury concerns. Valentine isn’t a stranger to the Midwest, while he isn’t from Chicago, he did play his prep and college ball not far away.
Valentine played high school ball in Lansing, Michigan and kept it close by electing to join the Michigan State Spartans for his college days. In his senior season for the Spartans, Valentine averaged 19.2 points, 7.8 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game. As a result of his performance, he was named a 1st Team All American by ESPN, the AP, USA Today, Sporting News, and just about every other publication or association that hands out such honors. In addition to that recognition, Valentine was the AP and USA Today National Player of the Year, while being a finalist or runner-up for the Wooden Award and the Naismith Award.
Valentine was one of the best passers and shooters in the entire country last year, posting similar shooting numbers to Buddy Hield. Denzel hit 45% of the 3-points in his senior year and was the first player over 6’5” to average over nine assists per 40 minutes according to DraftExpress. He also had the highest defensive rebound rate of any guard or wing prospect in the DX Top 100 Prospects. Valentine did it all in his senior year – a great 3-point shooter, great passer and able to pull in a ton of rebounds. If he can overcome his severe limitations defensively, he might end up being a particularly great two-way guard/wing.
Outlook: Speaking of upside, Valentine is anything but a sleeper pick for the Bulls. If the National Player of the Year falls to No. 14, it makes sense to take him. He will ultimately fit perfectly for the Bulls in both a good and bad way.
His injury concerns will be right in line with the recent history of Chicago and their players. He also figures to be the exact kind of player Hoiberg would want, a guard who can crash the defensive glass, pass particularly well and score from 3-point range better than almost every other member of the 2016 NBA Draft.
The Las Vegas Summer League focus for Valentine will be how his game translates to the pros and just how hard it is for him to hang with players when he is on defense. Valentine is the brightest spot on the Bulls summer roster. While Portis was a great pick at No. 22 and Jerian Grant was a top 20 pick last season for the Knicks, Valentine is the first name the Bulls have drafted in many years that bears such great optimism.
Next: Summer Bull: Bobby Portis
Watch Valentine closely and enjoy what you see. Good or bad, there will be a lot to learn about Denzel. What we already know is that he is the crown jewel of this summer roster.