Chicago Bulls: 5 players to watch during the 2019 preseason

2. Denzel Valentine, Shooting Guard

A player that might be commonly overlooked in the picture of the Central Division this season among important role players is the third-year shooting guard Denzel Valentine. The Chicago Bulls received an outside shooting boost in just the first two games of the preseason thanks to having Valentine coming off the bench.

Missing the entirety of the 2018-19 regular season means that the Bulls need Valentine to step into a bigger role while staying as healthy as possible in 2019-20. The upcoming regular season will feature a host of teams that actually aren’t as deep as the Bulls in the East. That’s where utilizing many different rotation looks and lineups will come in handy with Valentine in the mix.

The last full season that Valentine had with the Bulls saw him shoot around 38 percent from three-point range. Shooting well and defending competently are all the Bulls really need from Valentine this season. Staying healthy is obviously the other part of the equation now between Valentine and the Bulls.

The volume of three-point attempts for Valentine per game is solid so far. He’s getting off six attempts from downtown per game, but needs to hit on more than 33 percent of those looks. The rhythm from beyond the arc will come soon for him. But making his first three-pointer in the preseason opener against the Bucks was his first since April 1, 2018.