Prominent VALORANT analyst outlines where TenZ has to improve if Sentinels want to contend

VALORANT’s biggest star ever is TenZ, and there probably won’t be many people in the competitive scene who will argue on that point. Now, whether TenZ is still the same talent he was in 2021 or someone who will help carry a team to an international championship in 2024, that is something many people are still debating.

One of the most notable names to bring up this topic is caster and analyst Josh “Sideshow” Wilkinson, who released an hour-and-a-half-long video entirely about whether TenZ, who he called a “problem for Sentinels,” is “fixable” for 2024. Now, it might seem a bit of a hot take to imply one of the best duelists in the world is a problem, but considering how Sentinels have done recently, how much of that blame falls on their one remaining roster player from the glory days? According to Sideshow, a decent chunk of it is on TenZ’s shoulders.

The points that Sideshow brings up are hard to argue with, with the first focusing on his change in role. When TenZ started his VALORANT career as a pure duelist, times have changed. The roster changes to Sentinels and changing metas are putting him in a position where he has to flex onto different heroes, and it looks like he’ll get the role of flex player instead of duelist heading into the 2024 season. 

His Jett is clearly one of the best in the world, but Sideshow points out that TenZ’s overall improvements have been “slower than the field.” The raw potential from his aim to his movement is something Sentinels are still trying to get the most out of, especially since they know what he can do at his peak from Stage Two Masters in 2021. On the other side, things like his positioning as a duelist and agent flexibility still need to be worked on to be on the same level as a Max “Demon1” Mazanov or a Alexander “jawgemo” Mor. 

Now, plenty of TenZ fans would point out the chaos that Sentinels went through in 2022 and 2023 as a reason why their star player disappointed, and for good reason. Multiple different IGLs, two new players learning a new language, and constant roster swaps are good reasons for underperformance, but that can’t be the only reason as to why TenZ is a step behind some of the best players in the world.

Sideshow goes through plenty of footage, pointing out moments of both brilliance and inability from the 2023 season. While a lot of it is fixable, getting the right coach to guide him to it is crucial. Getting the wrong coach could stifle the development, and could lead to the stagnation of one of VALORANT’s biggest names.