Chicago Bulls: Ranking every 1st round pick from 2010s
By Ryan Heckman
7. Guard/Forward Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016)
In the 2016 NBA Draft, the Bulls selected Denzel Valentine with the 14th overall pick. I’ll admit, at first, I was a little excited about the pick. Valentine had shown he can be “the man” in college at times, and I thought he had a lot of potential.
Chicago Bulls
After coming to the Bulls, though, Valentine struggled to stay on the court. In his rookie season, he only suited up for 57 games. His sophomore year, Valentine played in 77 games, which was great to see.
However, he missed all of what would have been his third year (2018-2019) due to ankle surgery.
In his short few years with the Bulls, Valentine has had flashes of becoming a solid role player, but never anything more. And, at this point, I wonder if the Bulls will move on from him sooner or later.
Valentine has career averages of 7.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and has shot 40 percent from the field.
If the Bulls passed on Valentine, they could have ended up with a few notable names instead: Malik Beasley or Pascal Siakam, who also went in the first round.