Chicago Bulls' Denzel Valentine Is a Scoring Machine in Waiting
Denzel Valentine is the Chicago Bulls’ secret scoring machine in the waiting. In practice, he has been the shot maker this team desperately needs. When sent to the NBA D-League this past week to check on his chops, Valentine had strong scoring games with almost six 3-pointers each game.
Coach Fred Hoiberg and his coaching crew sent Bulls rookie Valentine to the D-League this past week to check on his chops as a point forward, big scoring guard while the team worked out their current rotation on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets.
If you check the videos of the Windy City Bulls’ games with Denzel Valentine, he scores most of his points from swing around 3s and from walk-up 3s–something Hoiberg and guards Rajon Rondo, Michael Carter-Williams, and Jerian Grant should remember to include in the team playbook when Denzel takes to the court. In three D-League games, Valentine’s gunning average was 30.5 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.
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I hope that the Bulls aren’t checking on Valentine’s trade potential, he’s still more valuable than Jahlil Okafor if he is being considered as an option for any player exchanges. Any NBA player who can score the way Valentine scores has a future, especially for a projected high-scoring Bulls squad of the near future when they trade Jimmy Butler for a shot at the 2017 draft lottery or Jahlil Okafor, whichever comes first. He has microwave offense potential as good as Nicolas Batum of the Charlotte Hornets.
The Chicago Bulls have a game coming up against the Sacramento Kings and have recalled Valentine from the D-League. Jimmy Butler is nursing an injury along. Same with Cristiano Felicio, suffering from a strained muscle sustained during Chicago’s loss the Rockets on Friday. The team might field Valentine for some scoring punch as another Rondo teammate on the Bulls’ second unit.
