Lost in the excitement of the Chicago Bulls' offseason — the acquisitions of Caleb Wilson, Dailyn Swain, Norman Powell, et al. — was last year's No. 12 overall pick, Noa Essengue. A promising prospect in his own right, Essengue was expected back healthy after missing almost his entire rookie season with a shoulder injury.
That may not be the case. Essengue admitted, via Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic, that he'll need to "learn how to play again" as he works back to full strength.
Noa Essengue said with his new shoulder he has to “learn how to play again.” Says he’s at about 98% and is still working through some range-of-motion stuff. Said he hasn’t talked to the staff about how many games he’ll play in Vegas.
— Joel Lorenzi (@JoelXLorenzi) July 6, 2026
The fact that a prospect like Essengue — who was wildly raw to begin with — doesn't seem ready to hit the ground running this season isn't great news for Chicago.
Noa Essengue gets honest about his return from shoulder surgery
The Bulls drafted Essengue with the understanding that he's a project. His height (6-foot-10) and length (7-foot-1 wingspan, 9-foot-2 standing reach) were enticing. He's a gracefully athletic mover who has a knack for getting to the basket, drawing fouls and creating chaos on defense, but he entered the league at 204 pounds.
As the youngest player in his class — younger than even Cooper Flagg — Essengue was a bet on the future.
He showed promise during his four appearances in the G League, averaging 23.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks. He attempted 4.8 free throws per game and shot them at an 84.2 percent clip.
But the injury stifled any progress he was hoping to make.
On the bright side, Essengue has had seven-plus months to get his shoulder in shape and add strength. Rumors swirled that he had grown a few inches and is now close to 7-feet tall, which fans will be glad to know was confirmed by the Bulls, who list him at 6-foot-11 on their summer league roster. His bio on the team's website has him at 6-foot-8.
It's great that his shoulder feels 98 percent healthy. It's the "learn how to play again" comment relayed by Lorenzi that's concerning.
An argument could be made that Essengue didn't really "know how to play" last year, at least at the NBA level. Now, he could be starting from scratch again.
It should comfort Bulls fans to know that Essengue's new head coach, Tiago Splitter, is high on the second-year forward's versatility, saying "he could play 3, 4 or 5, easily" during summer league, per Lorenzi. Splitter will coach the first few games in Las Vegas, so how he uses Essengue in those contests may be revealing.
Kudos to Essengue for being honest and vulnerable. But his comments are only going to increase the anxiety fans are feeling in Chicago.
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