The road to playing time for Noa Essengue starts now.
The Chicago Bulls officially tip off training camp on Tuesday at the Advocate Center. Whether it be the new expectations for Josh Giddey, the looming free agency of Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, or the breakout potential of Matas Buzelis, the Bulls enter the 2025-26 campaign with no lack of important storylines. However, one narrative that could begin to fly under the radar is the development of the team’s freshest face.
What’s the Bulls’ Plan for Noa Essengue?
Once Essengue was selected with the No. 12 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, many labeled him as a project piece. Bulls fans and analysts alike immediately projected the long Frenchman to begin his first year outside the rotation. In fact, many have assumed that Essengue could spend a significant chunk of his season with the organization’s G League affiliate honing his craft. The second-youngest player in the 2025 draft class, getting a feel for NBA-level speed and physcality could come with quite the learning curve.
Nevertheless, the Bulls weren’t ready to jump to any conclusions on Monday afternoon. Arturas Karnisovas said the team will take a wait-and-see approach with Essengue as the team begins training camp. If anything, he suggested a way in which the 18-year-old could instantly fit in.
“In terms of incorporating him, we have to look at his training camp and how he does. So far we watched him in the gym, and the great thing is he doesn’t need the ball,” Karnisovas said. “He plays really well without the ball. We’re not going to put high expectations on what’s going to happen. We’re going to see him in training camp and how he does in preseason and make those decisions then.”
Head coach Billy Donovan was a little quicker to point out some of the improvements Essengue has to make to get on the floor. However, he also sounded thoroughly impressed with what he has been able to see in small doses this offseason:
“I think the one thing that was encouraging to me is that he has a pretty good feel instinctually for how to play. He doesn’t put himself in a lot of difficult situations. He is very long athletically,” Donovan said. “He is going to have to get better strength; he’s going to have to get better guarding one-on-one. I think he’s shooting, he has good form, but that will have to get better … he really knows how to play the game, and that’s huge for a young player.”
Donovan is absolutely right. As silly as it sounds, the eyetest is arguably the most important thing when it comes to achieving early playing time as a rookie. Do you look comfortable on the court? Maybe you’re not making a huge impact, but are you limiting mistakes?
As young as Essengue is, it’s worth remembering that he has two professional seasons under his belt overseas. He has played the game alongside grown men for years. Heck, he came to the States just last offseason and dropped 20 points on the Portland Trail Blazers. That’s not nothing!
Again, none of this is to say that Essengue can look like a winning piece in an NBA rotation tomorrow. He can’t. But it sure sounds like the Bulls have already pinpointed some qualities that could lead to quicker playing time than some expect. Especially with growth and evaluation seemingly the focus for this season, the door should be open for Essengue to get involved sooner than later.
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