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Chicago Bulls rookie Denzel Valentine has come out of his shell recently, giving fans a glimpse of what he can possibly bring to the table moving forward.
The 2016-17 Chicago Bulls are a squad filled with almost entirely new faces.
Forget about the fact that after Taj Gibson was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, not a single member of the 2010-11 team remains–a group of guys that shocked the league by totaling 62 wins that season and making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Under the leadership of first-year head coach Tom Thibodeau, no less.
This current unit barely has anything in common with last year's team.
Jimmy Butler remained a constant, Bulls veterans Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah found themselves with the New York Knicks and stars such as Robin Lopez, Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade came aboard.
All in all, Chicago saw some changes.
Among those changes was the selection of rookie Denzel Valentine in the first round of the draft.
A 6-foot-6 shooting guard out of Michigan State, the 23-year-old averaged 11.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists a game during his four-year college career. As a senior, he recorded 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.8 assists per matchup, earning the honor of Big Ten Player of the Year.
Valentine also won the Big Ten Tournament's Most Outstanding Player award after leading MSU to the tournament title after a second-place finish during the regular season.
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Despite having knee surgery prior to his last year at MSU, the Michigan native clearly still had plenty of pep in his step.
The Bulls took him 14th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Valentine's transition to the league was not necessarily smooth sailing, however. Between all the new additions to Chicago's roster and head coach Fred Hoiberg still figuring out the jump between college and the pros himself, the newbie's first few months were lackluster at best.
During his first three months with the Bulls, Valentine played in only 22 games for an average of 9.5 minutes, averaging just 2.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.3 assists a contest. It was not until January that the rookie was even really given a chance to showcase his skill set.
Even then, his minutes were inconsistent. In part due to an ankle injury, but also Hoiberg's chaotic rotations.
"It gets tough sometimes, especially the third or fourth game of a (did not play by coach's decision) stretch," Valentine said. "But after the game I just think to myself that there are worse things going on in the world. I still have a dream job. I can't get mad. It'd be easy to be negative, but I'm going to be positive and keep working."
Work he did, even when he was sent down to the Developmental League's Windy City Bulls.
While Valentine may still have a ways to go in developing his game, he is certainly worthy of being given a real chance, something that recently, Hoiberg has actually played into. It has definitely paid off.
Earlier this month, the guard had five consecutive double-digit scoring games, including the team's 98-86 win over the Utah Jazz last Saturday, when he finished with a double-double, totaling 11 points on 3-of-7 shooting from downtown and grabbing 12 rebounds in 28 minutes of play.
Now what kind of a player Valentine will ultimately turn out to be is still up in the air. A strong defender, his shooting undoubtedly needs work, especially with regard to his shot selection from beyond the arc.
Nevertheless, it is good to finally see him be an active part of the roster.
Improved performance aside, he has shown another important aspect of himself as a player: the desire to learn from others.
"I mean, that's every kid's dream to have a future Hall of Famer help them, give them advice," said Valentine about teammate Wade, whose injury has opened up playing time for the rookie. "He's been to the promised land. He's won championships and done amazing things in this league. Anything he says, he's right. I'll listen to anything he says. I'm approaching it the same. No added pressure, but I'm not taking it lightly either. Stay the course. Get better every game. I've been playing well. I need to finish the season strong."
Valentine's impressively large grin and consistently positive mind set already make him easy to root for.
But if the rookie keeps soaking up veteran knowledge and continues to work on his weaknesses, the young buck should have no problem shaking off his slow start and having a solid career.
