Denzel Valentine: Expected to play in opener

Tuesday marked the rookie’s first full practice since suffering a sprained left ankle early in the preseason. Assuming he doesn’t sustain any sort of setback Wednesday, the expectation is that he’ll be available in a bench capacity for Thursday’s opener. Valentine could work his way into a larger role as the season progresses, but he’ll likely begin as a minor contributor off the bench, considering he missed a significant chunk of the exhibition schedule.