Chicago Bulls: 3 players that won’t mesh with Billy Donovan

2) Chicago Bulls players that are the worst fits with Donovan: Denzel Valentine

The first two names up on this list again aren’t necessarily just poor fits with Donovan or Boylen, but just will have a difficult time making another NBA roster once their time with the Bulls is over. Now it is definitely worth noting that the former Michigan State Spartans 26-year-old 6-foot-4 shooting guard Denzel Valentine is more valuable to pretty much any NBA team than Felicio.

Just a lot of what the 14th overall pick of the Bulls in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft has showed so far in his time in the league doesn’t give him much proven experience or recognition. Valentine missed a lot of games over the course of the last two seasons. In fact, he missed the entirety of the 2018-19 season due to a lower-body injury.

And Valentine played in 36 games during the shortened 2019-20 regular season with the Bulls (five of which he started in). He averaged 6.8 points per game, 2.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.2 blocks. Valentine shot 40.9 percent from the field, 33.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 75.0 percent from the free-throw line.

Since Valentine is a restricted free agent this offseason, the Bulls could simply just not hand him a qualifying offer and he won’t return next season. Unless they feel like Valentine is really valuable as a part of the second or third unit off the bench heading into next season, he likely won’t be returning to the Windy City to play under Donovan.