Kevin O’Connor on my boy Valentine. He also suggests Aaron Gordon gets sent elsewhere and fills a Draymond like role as a small ball center.
https://www.theringer.com/nba/2020/...e-aaron-gordon-marcus-smart-bogdan-bogdanovic
Buy Low on Denzel Valentine
It’s been a tough road for Valentine after being selected with the 14th pick in 2016. He struggled as a rookie after missing all of training camp with ankle injuries that nagged him throughout the season. Those pesky ankles eventually required surgery, which knocked him out for all of his third season. Now he’s back, but Bulls head coach Jim Boylen has been reluctant to put him on the floor over his group of younger guards, including Zach LaVine, Coby White, and Kris Dunn; Valentine has played in 28 games this season, mostly in garbage time.
How is it that a player who can’t even get on the floor for the Bulls is on this list? Because Valentine got dealt a bad hand. Injuries occur. Coaches change. Priorities evolve. The flashes Valentine showed in his second season, his only healthy season, shouldn’t be forgotten. He developed into a spark plug scorer and reliable playmaker, averaging 10.2 points while shooting 38.6 percent from 3 and posting a 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. They aren’t gaudy numbers, but he looked like the player Chicago hoped for. He’s doing it again now, making high-IQ plays with the pass, hitting nifty floaters on drives, and draining tough 3s off screens and out of pick-and-rolls.
Change his jersey from red to green, and Valentine would look like he’s right back at Michigan State, where he developed into a team leader and lottery talent over four years. His shooting has translated: Since 2017-18, Valentine has made 39.4 percent of his 170 attempted dribble-jumper 3s. It’s a small sample, but it was Valentine’s blend of shooting and playmaking that made him such an appealing prospect. How could the Bulls not be encouraged? If they don’t want him, another team should.