The Chicago Bulls took a gamble selecting Noa Essengue at No. 12 in last year's draft. That gamble is becoming harder to defend as he struggles, while players drafted after him emerge during this year's summer league.
The Bulls understood that Essengue, the youngest player in his draft class, would be a long-term project. Missing almost the entirety of his rookie season with a shoulder injury only put him further behind the eight ball.
But the 19-year-old has looked alarmingly lost during this year's Las Vegas Summer League.
Meanwhile, players like Will Riley and Liam McNeeley — whom the Bulls passed on to take Essengue — are proving they're ready to play real roles for Washington and Charlotte, respectively.
Bulls' Noa Essengue gamble looks worse by the summer league day
Essengue played in a forgettable pair of games last year before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. What was essentially a redshirt rookie season hasn't helped much in the way of improvement.
In 21.1 minutes per game across three contests in Vegas, the French swingman is averaging just 8.0 points on 42.9 percent shooting from the field and 20.0 percent from 3-point range. His 5.7 rebounds per game are promising, and he is averaging 1.7 steals and 2.0 blocks, but he hasn't made much of an impact.
Compare that to Minnesota Timberwolves center Joan Beringer, who was selected five spots after Essengue in the 2025 draft. Beringer — also a 19-year-old Frenchman — had 18 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in his only 2026 summer league appearance and is expected to play an important role for the Wolves this season.
Riley, who went 21st overall to the Wizards, averaged 25.0 points in his two games. He shot 53.8 percent from the field and 70.0 percent from three. He played in 74 games last season and started 18 times for Washington.
McNeeley, 2025's No. 29 pick, struggled to make an impact for Charlotte last season. But through three summer league games, he's averaging 21.7 points and shooting 52.6 percent from deep.
And this isn't including Derik Queen and Carter Bryant, who were drafted with picks 13 and 14. Queen was named to the All-Rookie First Team and Bryant played in the NBA Finals for San Antonio.
The Essengue pick — made by the Bulls' former front office — was questionable at best. The current regime under Bryson Graham is now stuck with that decision.
Inheriting a 19-year-old lottery pick who should be a foundational player but is quickly trending toward "bust" territory is a tough pill to swallow.
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