The Chicago Bulls swung for the fences when they took Noa Essengue with the 12th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, taking the second-youngest player in the class. The young Frenchman measures at 6-foot-10 barefoot, with a 7-foot-1 wingspan. Essengue’s measurements are even more startling when you consider that the 18-year old forward could still be growing and is definitely a ways away from his final playing weight.
All that being said, impressive measurements won’t guarantee Essengue has a smooth transition to the NBA. That responsibility lies with newly inducted Hall of Fame head coach Billy Donovan, who likely gave us a clue as to how he will handle Essengue’s playing time based off of the progression of last year’s Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis.
Mark Schanowski–who handles play-by-play for the Windy City Bulls of the G League–has told me that he expects Essengue to spend considerable time playing for the Bulls G League in Hoffman Estates.
Buzelis didn’t spend much time with the Windy City Bulls in his rookie year but he absolutely dominated when he did. He played two games for Windy City, averaging 22.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 blocks per game.
Despite being a lottery pick for a team stuck in the middle, Buzelis was forced to earn his playing time, a fact that likely contributed to his positive development as the season wore on.
Buzelis was receiving just under six minutes a night–essentially not in the rotation at all–over October of the 2024-25 season. That figure rose to double digits over November and December before plateauing a bit at just under 14 minutes a night in January.
Whether it was injuries to Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Williams, or things simply clicking mentally for Buzelis at the pro level, his playing time rose to 26+ minutes a night and he became a key figure in the lineup the rest of the way.
This is likely the way for Noa Essengue, with a slight twist.
Essengue will undoubtedly need to earn Donovan’s trust in the same way Buzelis did, which is immense effort in his defense and rebounding, running hard in transition and being unafraid to take open shots from 3-point range.
Thankfully for Chicago, he showed a willingness to do that in Summer League action. The physical strength and talent level will be different in actual NBA action, but Essengue showcased that he understands what would be expected with the big league club, while also flashing the ability to do more.
Injuries–as they usually do–played a big part in Donovan's rotation change that allowed a rookie Buzelis to fully spread his wings.
That same scenario could play out over the 2025-26 season, but a move like swapping the oft-injured Lonzo Ball for 24-year old, defensive-minded wing Isaac Okoro gives the Bulls more options at either forward spot than they had last season. An injury to a player like Kevin Huerter could simply result in more minutes for Okoro or vice-versa, it’s a less clear pathway to a consistent role for Essengue than Buzelis had.
Ultimately, if Noa Essengue–unlike Buzelis–plays a large chunk (or all) of his season with the Windy City Bulls, you would expect to see him put up decent numbers.
Although Essengue may not be a score-first player, the level of competition in the G League lends itself to up-tempo track meets in which defense feels very much optional. Even with his game needing much refinement, his impressive wingspan and ability to draw contact should make him at the very least an effective shot blocker and free throw rate (FTr) maven at the G League level.
Essengue’s best game at Summer League saw him score 21 points, which included three 3-point makes and a perfect shooting night from the free throw line.
Another game that specifically showcased Ess impressive ability to maintain a high FTr saw him get to the charity stripe seven times in just under 19 minutes of action.
Newly inducted Hall of Fame head coach Billy Donovan brought Buzelis along slowly but with a clear plan in place, and that resulted in a well-deserved NBA All-Rookie Second Team selection. With even more impressive physical tools than Buzelis and prior pro experience as well with Ratiopharm Ulm of the Basketball Bundesliga, the sky's the limit for Noa Essengue on the “Buzelis plan.”