NBA Draft Lottery picks are not meant to be sent back and forth between the parent club and the D-League franchise. Denzel Valentine, the 2016 College Basketball Player of the Year Award winner, does not belong at the Sears Center.
Unless suburban big box mart shopping is his thing, the 14th overall selection in the NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls should not be spending substantial time near the giant IKEA in Schaumburg, or the homogenized office parks that dominated the edge city landscape of Hoffman Estates.
Zel has fallen so far down Coach Fred Hoiberg’s rotation that the Bulls second round pick, Paul Zipser, has a much better and more defined role with the team.
Yes, Paul Zipser, who no one really knew anything about.
On February 4th, Denzel Valentine was recalled from the Windy City Bulls. In his two-game stint with Windy City, Valentine posted averages of 30.5 points, 12.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists. He finally saw some playing time, in the 123-92 blowout loss at Golden State. Valentine had four straight DNPs before scoring 6 points in 23 minutes versus the Warriors.
For the season, Valentine is averaging just 11.9 minutes per game, 3.3 points per game, 0.6 assists per game and 1.6 rebounds per game. What’s gone wrong? Why isn’t he getting any time?
The Bulls need to figure out his position, and play him there. When Valentine was drafted…there were a ton of really bad, and painfully obvious Valentine’s Day puns coming from media who work in the city where the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre occurred…ok but that’s not what’s relevant here. Questions abounded about what position Denzel Valentine could play or should play at the next level.
When he was at Michigan State, many marveled at this versatility. That selling point can also be hindrance to finding your way.
Look at another versatile lottery pick from a traditional B1G power, Evan Turner.
Apparently, many of you do, because Evan Turner is quite often a top ten trending national term on Twitter on many a late week night this season. Turner never has, and he never will, live up to the hype and expectations of the #2 overall draft pick (2010). However, the journeyman from Ohio State has carved out a decent niche for himself in the league.
Turner does a lot of things right, now that he’s found himself. As the #14 overall pick, the expectations for Denzel Valentine aren’t as high, but he needs to be the guy bringing the ball up, just like he often did with the Spartans.
“I keep working every day, listening to the right people,” Valentine is quoted in the Chicago Tribune. “I feel like I’m ready to be an NBA point guard. My time is coming. It’s been the same story my whole life. Guys were ranked ahead of me (in recruiting), but I will keep grinding until I get to where I need to.”
Although a very fine stopgap, Jerian Grant is not truly the longterm answer at the one. To think that he is to not respect our basketball intelligence. Michael Carter-Williams is not the real deal either. Like Grant, he’s again fine for the time being, but he’s just okay.
Rajon Rondo has punched his ticket out of town, and the Bulls need to figure that situation out before he implodes the team even further. So the status quo isn’t elite by any means, which should provide an opportunity for Denzel Valentine.
He certainly hasn’t gotten the breaks thus far in his NBA rookie season, and make his own good luck once he’s running the point with regularity. He’s certainly due for some good luck. After all, it’s almost February 14th (sorry, sorry, I just couldn’t pass up the vomit inducing, overly trite pun there).
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, Bold and the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication, appears regularly as a guest on CGTN America, WGN CLTV News and KOZN.
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