Top 20 former Michigan State Spartans to play in the NBA

13. Denzel Valentine

For the casual basketball fan, or even fans not up-to-date on the news surrounding the Chicago Bulls, Denzel Valentine went radio silent in 2018-19.

This is because the 2016 late-lottery pick and 2015-216 First Team AP All-American selection opted to have ankle surgery following his sophomore year.

In that sophomore year, however, Valentine showed considerable improvement from his rookie season across every major stat line.

He doubled his points-per-game average from 5.1 to 10.2, increased his assists by more than two per game and improved on his rebounding by nearly three per game. This is all the while playing 20 more games in his sophomore season at a rate of 10 extra minutes per game.

This increase in efficiency from a rookie to sophomore season may not be surprising, but after a year off, and as a player on a team considerably removed from playoff contention, it is not hard to forget the promise Valentine began to show.

Don’t expect a quiet career so far to be a sign of things to come. Valentine is certainly motivated for his return.