In his four-year career at Michigan State, Denzel Valentine never shied away from the big moments, and now that he’s a Chicago Bull, he’ll be a part of moments bigger than any in the NCAA. We wouldn’t necessarily say that Las Vegas Summer League counts as one of those moments, but the Bulls found themselves in overtime of the championship game, tied and with time winding down. Denzel knew what to do, and he stepped up and poured in a beautiful turnaround jumper to win the tournament as time expired.
Of course, that was just the capper of a wild finish to Summer League. MVP Tyus Jones put the Wolves’ summer squad up three, with three seconds to go with a bomb from Steph Curry range. But Valentine, having shot 1-of-7 before the final seconds, was ready to make the biggest shot of the game (to that point) to tie it up and send it to overtime. And then, well, you know what happened.
So is it clutch if it’s the championship, but only of Summer League? Well, to answer that, you have to ask a broader question: Does Summer League matter? What do you think, Denzel?
https://twitter.com/highkin/status/755244048818974720
It’s gotta feel good to win something.
