With the 12th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft this summer, the Chicago Bulls selected 18-year-old Noa Essengue. Unlike many of the selections on draft day, Essengue was not plucked from the traditional college route. Over the last several years, he has spent his time developing in professional basketball leagues in Europe, beginning in France and concluding with a stint in Germany. With a few years of professional basketball under his belt at only 18 years of age, Essengue has a head start on several members of his draft class in both youthfulness and organized basketball experience. Chicago has not deemed him ready to perform at the NBA level just yet, and has rotated between having him join the team as a bench player who does not receive any minutes and spending time with their G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls. Tonight, he debuted for the Windy City club, and his talent won’t be a secret for much longer after the performance he had.

Lit Up The G-League Stage

When Essengue was drafted, his most coveted assets included his passing ability, his tight handles, and his standout defensive instincts. Standing at 6’10” with a 6’11” wingspan, he’s an intimidating defender the minute he steps onto the floor. From his draft profile and Summer League action, he faces many of the same issues that Matas Buzelis did before his rookie campaign. His frame lacks size and strength; his outside shooting is inconsistent, which is a notable weakness, and the overall need for aggression on the NBA stage isn’t yet evident. This season may feature more G-League action than NBA minutes for the underdeveloped rookie. Tonight, he may have raised questions about whether or not he should be awarded some playing time with the Chicago Bulls.

🇫🇷 Noa Essengue in his first showing in the G-League for the Windy City Bulls

28 points
8 boards
1 assist
11-21 FG
2-6 3P
3-3 FT
30 minutes

 

 

Athleticism and high basketball IQ most often prevail at the G-League stage, a much less polished product than the NBA. Essengue entered the year with plenty of professional basketball experience and is one of the youngest players in the Association. Both were on display tonight.

Earning Minutes In Chicago

It’s easy to get overstimulated by one electric performance by an unknown commodity, but it’s important to remember that it was still at the developmental league level. Playing for Chicago would mean his consistency needs to skyrocket, given that he will not be attempting 21 shots as he did tonight. His defense would be the most important trait, since his offensive role would diminish drastically. Defending at a high level would earn his place on the floor. Head coach Billy Donovan has not been known to play rookies at a high rate immediately, as was seen with Buzelis’s limited minutes for the first half of last season. He’s noted explicitly that Essengue will have a “month-to-month” status, so hopefully by the tail end of the year, he’s earning NBA minutes.

If Essengue can quickly demonstrate that he’s capable of performing all the necessary tasks at the professional level, the Bulls could utilize his size and defensive reinforcements. So far this season, one of their most immense voids is their ability to defend the paint and contain star-caliber big men.

Can the 18-year-old rookie push his way into the rotation, or will his entire rookie campaign be developmental and sharpening his weaknesses?