When the Chicago Bulls selected Noa Essengue with the 12th overall pick, the expectation was that the French forward would be brought along slowly. After all, he’s only 18 years old, the second-youngest player in the draft. He was also one of the draft cycle’s fastest risers, gaining momentum late as his stock surged all the way until draft night.

Thus, there’s an understanding that Essengue likely won’t see the floor much, if at all, early in the season. For example, even last year’s All-Rookie Second Team honoree, Matas Buzelis, didn’t receive consistent minutes until February. And Essengue enters even further behind where Buzelis was in his development, having played in Germany’s Basketball Bundesliga, starting in only 21 of 60 games.

Yet, Essengue brings a host of intriguing skills. At nearly 7 feet tall, he moves like a gazelle in transition, using long strides to attack the rim with ease. His length also makes him a force on defense, particularly as a weakside presence. He covers so much ground that he functions almost like a free safety on the basketball court.

Noa Essengue could see playing time sooner than expected

Moreover, Essengue’s unique ability to draw fouls could go a long way toward improving Chicago’s lackluster free-throw rate, which ranked 29th in the association. His free-throw rate of 75.1 percent was impressive—nearly 12 percentage points higher than the NBA leader.

Still, as Essengue’s Summer League performances showed, there’s plenty of room for improvement. From his slender frame to his shooting touch, multiple aspects of his game need rounding out.

No matter how much Essengue still needs to develop to earn playing time, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan offered a promising remark during Chicago’s media day: “He’s a great kid, and he’s a really good worker. He’s got instinctively a pretty good feel for how to play… He really knows how to play the game, and that’s a huge advantage for a young player.”

Getting to the right spots, reading rotations, and staying adaptable are essential for young players—and all stem from being instinctual. If Essengue demonstrates that from day one, there’s a good chance he’ll see the floor, even if his counting stats leave much to be desired.

The Bulls’ forward unit is suddenly deep after opening last season painfully thin. That means Essengue won’t be forced into action. Still, if anything can be taken from Donovan’s remarks, it’s that Chicago could turn to him for spot minutes here and there early in the season.