Denzel Valentine missed his first six shots in the Las Vegas Summer League championship game last week, and he didn't score until the fourth quarter. But that didn't scare the Chicago Bulls coaches from diagramming a play for the former Michigan State star in the final seconds of regulation while trailing by three points.
Valentine delivered, and then did so again in overtime, hitting a buzzer-beater to give the Bulls a summer-league title.
The faith in Valentine and the reward were not surprising to anyone who watched the guy the last few years at Michigan State. Valentine has his limitations—mostly a lack of NBA-level athleticism—but he makes up for it with intelligence, confidence and skill.
"From the day he walked into our facility, he hasn't blinked," Chicago assistant Pete Myers, who was the head coach of the summer-league squad, told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. "We knew this kid was confident. He's not afraid of big moments.
"I have this on the board in my office: 'Aggressive failure.' That's what he shows all the time. He's not afraid to fail and I love him for it."
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by C.J. Moore
Realistic Expectations for Chicago Bulls Rookie Denzel Valentine in 2016-17
July 30th, 2016 by C.J. Moore Leave a reply »
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