Controversial Former Bull Makes Strong Claims at NBA Media Day

Getty Denzel Valentine

In recent memory, few former Chicago Bulls create more emotional reactions than Denzel Valentine. The 2016 lottery pick went from being a player many Bulls fans thought was mistreated by former head coach Jim Boylan to being one of the most maddening guys in current coach Billy Donovan’s rotation.

Valentine wasn’t brought back to the team this offseason. Instead, he signed a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers for $1.8 million. During the Cavs’ media day, Valentine spoke about the Bulls and he had some surprisingly strong words about his departure and future.

Denzel Valentine Says He Can Play and Defend 4 Positions

According Cavs analyst Evan Dammarell: “Denzel Valentine says that he is able to play, and guard, 1-4 and is a winner, despite what happened in Chicago, and give both of those things every night to the Cavaliers.”

Valentine has never lacked confidence, but this is even a stretch for him. “Able to guard 1-4?” Really? It was tough to watch Valentine attempt to guard the 2 or 3–his more natural positions–let alone imagine him getting torched by point guards and pounded by even small-ball power forwards.

For reference, Valentine’s defensive rating in 2020-21 was an astronomical 110.5. Let’s compare that to a really good defender like Kawhi Leonard, who had a 101.0 and another challenged defender like Donovan Mitchell, who checked in at 108. Both are still clearly better defenders than Valentine, yet he’s saying he can defend four positions?

Maybe he can in NBA 2K22, but Valentine has yet to prove he possesses that kind of defensive versatility in the real NBA. Still, I guess you have to admire his self belief.

Denzel Valentine Doesn’t Have a Lot of Believers Heading into the 2021-22 Season

While Valentine may be high on himself and believe he’s still got some time to show that he can be an impact player in the NBA, others aren’t as optimistic about his chances of winning NBA’s Most Improved Player.

James Cornelissen of King James Gospel wrote this gashing review of Valentine’s weaknesses and the dim outlook on a potential turnaround with the Cavs.

Cornelissen wrote:

We’ll talk about the small collection of positives in a moment, but for the most part Denzel Valentine has been a bad player through four seasons in the NBA. Injuries have played a major part of that, limiting him to 57 games as a rookie and just 36 in 2019-20. That being said, when Valentine has played he hasn’t been good enough to earn a rotation spot. A major culprit for this has been his lack of a jump shot. Over four seasons he has hit just 35.7 percent of his 3-pointers, a major decline from the 44.4 percent he shot as a senior in college. For Valentine, a relatively poor defender due to his lack of athleticism, a reliable outside shot is a must to deserve a spot on the court. Unfortunately, Valentine has not been a dynamic playmaker for others thus far, his other calling card coming into the draft. He has averaged just 3.6 assists per-36 minutes, a below-average number for a wing and especially one who was so dynamic making plays in college. Something about the speed or the spacing of the NBA game has flummoxed Valentine through 232 career games. Valentine has not played on any great Chicago teams, but many of the lineups he found himself in were well-spaced, playing with other recent draft picks such as Lauri Markkanen (now his teammate in Cleveland) and Coby White. That didn’t move the needle for Valentine, and he will now join a Cleveland team that arguably will roll out even less shooting, especially with bench units.

Even if Valentine wins the Sixth Man and NBA’s Most Improved Player while shooting 45% from three-point range and ranks in the Top 10 in the league in steals, the Bulls still made the right decision letting him walk.

Valentine’s vibe and presence were far too connected to the sort of losing mentality the Bulls organization is attempting to distance itself from moving forward. Chicago wishes Valentine the best, but the team is better off. Hopefully, Valentine will be too.

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