Nearly two months after returning from injury, it seems like spots on the Denzel Valentine Player of the Year bandwagon are filling up fast, thanks to an eight-game stretch where he’s been virtually unstoppable.
On the season, Valentine is averaging 19.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game, numbers that no one else in the country can even remotely challenge, not even Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield, who we seem so ready to crown with every Player of the Year award that there is.
Over the past eight games, Valentine’s numbers are 22.9 points, 7.9 assists, 7.8 rebounds per game. He’s dangerously, dangerously close to a triple-double almost every night, while being thoroughly dominating in every single way.
If it weren’t for him missing four games earlier this season, there’s a legitimate chance that Valentine might even be in the lead for POY honors over Buddy Hield. Hield’s been tremendous, unstoppable even, but the overall numbers from Valentine are hard to ignore at this point. Sometime’s we’re blessed with the chance to watch point guards who really take pride in rebounding and we’re impressed when they average five or so a game, along with a heavy dose of assists and points. But Valentine is not a point guard (or is he?) but rather a forward who just happens to also be the best passer in America.
Whether or not the Denzel Valentine Player of the Year case ultimately gets made has yet to be seen, but there’s no question that voters should take a second to consider it before blindly handing it to Hield.
