INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Denzel Valentine chuckled, shook his head, and then briefly covered his face when asked about his divergent NBA journey following a third practice with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
That reaction said it all.
“It’s been a rollercoaster,” Valentine said. “It’s been up and down, but I’m just going to keep working. I believe in myself. I believe in my abilities. I feel like the best basketball is ahead of me. I’m finally getting healthy, finally coming into my own, getting my routines down and I think it’s only up from here.”
Tough to see it getting much lower.
Following a decorated prep career, Valentine was selected No. 14 by the Chicago Bulls in the 2016 NBA Draft, joining a veteran-laden playoff contender that featured Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler. An uneven rookie season included multiple trips to the Windy City, the team’s G League affiliate, before Valentine made a promising sophomore leap, averaging a career-best 10.2 points on 41.7% from the field and 38.6% from 3-point range to go with 5.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
It was a glimpse of the versatile skill set that made him a lottery selection. It was supposed to be a sign of things to come.
Instead, his career rapidly derailed.
Valentine missed all of 2018-19 due to an ankle reconstruction. He hasn’t been the same since. His final two seasons in Chicago were dotted with inconsistency, sporadic playing time and role changes. He was disregarded during free agency this past summer -- until the Cavaliers signed him to a partially-guaranteed prove-it deal two weeks before training camp. The second year is non-guaranteed.
Now he’s in Cleveland looking to rebuild his career. It could be his final shot.
“This is a major difference for me obviously,” Valentine said. “Coming in here and being part of a young hungry group that wants to win and wants to get better and wants to compete, I’m just happy to be here and happy to be part of it. Individually, just do whatever I can. Come in, play my minutes, make shots, share the ball, play defense, be versatile, be the player I know I can be. Do all the little things and take advantage of the moment. I like the group. I like everything we have. I like our direction. It’s really different than Chicago, but it’s a good different. Change is good sometimes.”
Valentine arrived in Cleveland last Sunday. He was supposed to have a few pre-camp practice sessions to accelerate the transition. But it didn’t happen. He’s still learning the terminology. Tuesday was his first practice. And while it helps to have old Bulls teammate Lauri Markkanen as his locker buddy and hype man, it’s going to take time for Valentine to get comfortable -- and find his niche.
“I think me being able to play 1-4 and being able to guard 1-4, I think that helps a lot,” he said. “I’m a winner despite what happened in Chicago. I’ve played State Championships, Final 4s in college. Just that mentality of coming in and competing every day, I can bring that.
“I know what I’m capable of doing. I’ve done it in the league. I’ve had 30-point games. We’ve won eight games in a row in my second season. I’ve played with Hall-of-Fame teammates and in the playoffs. I’ve done a lot in this league, but it just hasn’t been consistent. Just being able to do what I’ve done in the league already and just do it consistently, that’s what I’m trying to do here.”
Cleveland added Valentine as a depth piece to boost its thin wing spot after missing out on more high-profile free agent targets -- Doug McDermott, Reggie Bullock, Furkan Korkmaz, Kent Bazemore and Alec Burks, among others. With Collin Sexton slated to start at shooting guard and second-year swingman Isaac Okoro still Cleveland’s best option at the 3, Valentine will try to win the backup wing spot, beating out Dylan Windler, Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens and Dean Wade -- all of whom will be fighting for those minutes.
According to a source, Valentine has shot the ball well in the early days of camp and finally looks healthy again. He’s also gotten opportunities as a playmaker in what coach J.B. Bickerstaff hopes will be a fun, fast, free-flowing, spaced-out, share-the-wealth offense that spurns isolations and focuses on ball movement and drive-and-kicks.
“Denzel has the pedigree that we’re looking for,” Bickerstaff said. “A guy who has that grit, who has the toughness, and who has that versatility. A guy who was a four-year guy in college at a really good college program who was really well-coached. He’s an intelligent player, he’s engaging. He understands systems and he understands being a great teammate.”
While it’s hard to envision a prominent role this early into camp, Valentine believes Cleveland is the ideal spot for his renaissance.
“We’ve all faced adversity. They’ve been through adversity the last two years and I’ve been through adversity in my career,” Valentine said. “But I think everybody here has a chip on their shoulder and I noticed that when we walked in. Everybody is competing, everybody is ready to get better and ready to go out there and give it their all. I just like that energy. That’s what I’m about right now. That’s kind of where I am in my career.
“I’m ready to turn my career around. Ready to prove myself too. I kind of fit in in that aspect of being hungry and ready to make that change and take that next step.”
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