2) Chicago Bulls bound to breakout in the second half
Denzel Valentine, Shooting Guard/Wing
Looking back on the move that Karnisovas and the Bulls made to extend the former restricted free agent and the 6-foot-4 and 220 pound shooting guard/wing Denzel Valentine last offseason might not have been the best. Valentine came out of the gates strong this season, and shot well for Donovan and the Bulls most of the way to date.
But the overall production and efficiency of Valentine slowed greatly on both ends of the floor prior to the All-Star Break. While he is on just a one-year contract for the Bulls at this point, it feels like Valentine isn’t occupying a very valuable spot in the rotation entering the second half.
This could all change very quick, though, as a streaky shooter in the former Michigan State Spartan Valentine can get going at any time. Hopefully this is something that the Bulls experience at the start of the second half of the regular season.
Donovan is having Valentine play heavier minutes this season than the former Bulls head coach Jim Boylen did in the last two years. Valentine is playing in around 20 minutes on the floor per game, was is roughly seven more than he did last season.
And the production could come in full form for Valentine soon. So far this season, he’s averaged 8.0 points per game, 4.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals, and no blocks. Valentine has shot 37.5 percent from the field, 34.8 percent from beyond the arc, and is a perfect 100 percent on six attempts from the free-throw line.