Noa Essengue and Lachlan Olbrich showed out for the Windy City Bulls on Wednesday.
The newest members of the Chicago Bulls haven't had many chances to make an impact this season. With rotation minutes at a premium, rookies Noa Essengue and Lachlan Olbrich have spent much of the young season with the team's G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls.
Essengue has played just six NBA minutes so far, while Olbrich has yet to make his debut. However, the pair of 2025 draftees have been able to showcase their own skills in a lower-stakes environment, and the rookies have taken full advantage of their opportunity.
Against the Sioux Falls Skyforce on Wednesday, Essengue scored a team-leading 27 points on 8-of-18 shooting and 2-of-7 from deep. The 18-year-old Frenchman also grabbed 10 boards and swiped a pair of steals, but his performance wasn't enough to get the win. The Windy City Bulls ultimately fell to the Skyforce, 129-122, to fall to 4-2 in G League play.
Olbrich stuffed the stat sheet to earn his first triple-double. Chicago's second-round pick notched 26 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, two blocks and a steal in nearly 36 minutes of action.
While they didn't come out with the victory, Bulls fans should be very encouraged by the play of their two rookies.
Chicago is currently stuck with two unfortunate realities: the Bulls don't have the talent to compete for a title, but also don't have the young assets to warrant a rebuild and focus on development. We saw exactly what happened when Essengue finally got playing time against the Wizards and Pelicans — he looked out of place, was essentially forced to wait in the corner and ended up with a -15 plus-minus in his six minutes on the court.
The Bulls made Essengue, who doesn't turn 19 years old until December 18th, the No. 12 overall pick this summer because of his frame and potential versatility on the wing. While he isn't quite ready to crack the NBA rotation, Essengue has been able to hone his talents in the G League with averages of 25.7 points and 8.3 rebounds over his three appearances.
Olbrich is nearly 22 and played two seasons in the highest level of Australia's NBL, but there just isn't room for a 6-foot-8 center among a Bulls team that already struggles to rebound. The No. 55 overall pick is still an interesting developmental project and has averaged 18.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 7.2 assists in the G League.