As the conclusion of the NBA regular season approaches, we continue to see more and more names get sidelined for rest purposes and due to injury.
Well out of the playoff picture, the Chicago Bulls will already wrap up their season without guards Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine. Now, another name can be added to that list in second-year man Denzel Valentine. The Bulls announced that Valentine is done for the rest of the season with arthroscopic knee surgery looming.
Bulls guard Denzel Valentine will have an arthroscopic debridement on his left knee tomorrow morning. Valentine had an MRI yesterday after experiencing swelling in his knee. The results of his MRI presented a surgical option for treatment. He will not play against Charlotte tonight and will miss the rest of the season.
At 26-51, this loss won’t really hurt the Bulls and the franchise is likely hoping their young wing gets the surgery he needs as soon as possible. Denzel Valentine certainly took a jump this year and figures to be an integral part of Chicago’s future going forward.
Though this season wasn’t anything like the Bulls had hoped, the campaign was still littered with minor positives. The play of rookie Lauri Markkanen has been stellar all season long and though the two are currently sidelined, it’s also clear that they roster their backcourt of the future in Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine.
Valentine’s jump has also been an added bonus as the 6’6″ shooting guard pieced together a solid year not many saw coming. In 77 appearances that included 37 starts this season, Valentine averaged 10.2 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting nearly 39 percent from beyond the arc.
