Chicago Bulls: 3 players that deserve to get less playing time

Denzel Valentine, SG/SF

The way that the Bulls played out of the gates this season, it looked like the 27-year-old 6-foot-4 and 205 pound shooting guard/wing Denzel Valentine would be a great fit with Donovan. And when Valentine heats up from the field, it still looks like he can be a really valuable piece coming off their bench in the second and/or third unit.

The former Michigan State Spartan Valentine played well at times in the Bulls loss to the Suns on March 31. In the first three quarters, Valentine shot better than 50 percent from the field and above 40 percent from beyond the arc. But it was Valentine going cold down the stretch, and having one key turnover, that put the statement on his March 31 outing.

Valentine’s production as a whole this season doesn’t look very good in terms of his counting stats and advanced metrics. He’s averaged 7.4 points per game, 3.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.6 steals, no blocks, and 0.6 turnovers. And Valentine shot 37.7 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from beyond the arc, and is perfect on a few attempts from the free-throw line.

That has amounted to Valentine registering nearly a career-low -2.5 box plus/minus rating, .043 win shares per 48 minutes, and a 10.8 player efficiency rating.

Valentine is definitely a capable shot creator and shot maker at times off the bench for the Bulls. But he’s also usually a bad one-on-one defender, inconsistent catch-and-shoot two-guard/wing, and someone that can get turnover happy at inopportune times. That means that Donovan could reduce Valentine’s playing time once the backcourt rotation gets stronger.