He’s 6-foot-10 in socks, with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, and moves like a guard. That profile alone suggests a player with those tools should be on the floor. Yet he’s only 18 years old and started just a third of his games last season overseas in Germany's Basketball Bundesliga.
That player, of course, is the Chicago Bulls’ 12th overall pick, Noa Essengue. The French forward was a relative unknown entering the 2025 NBA Draft cycle, having spent most of the 2023–24 season with Ratiopharm Ulm’s B-team as a 16- and 17-year-old. Essengue appeared in only nine games for Ratiopharm’s Basketball Bundesliga squad, logging just 40 total minutes.
Nevertheless, as mentioned earlier, Essengue’s talent was impossible to ignore. At just 17 years old, he earned a promotion to Ratiopharm Ulm’s top squad, where he quickly made an impression. Once barely considered a first-round prospect, Essengue rose into lottery-pick territory within a matter of months—a testament to his undeniable skill and physique.
Noa Essengue's game needs fine tuning on several fronts
Essengue excelled in Germany’s Basketball Bundesliga, using his athletic gifts to glide up and down the floor, draw contact with ease, and pile up steals and blocks against unsuspecting opponents. But he’s no longer a reserve in the Bundesliga; he’s a lottery pick on a team with playoff aspirations. With such a steep learning curve, a nuanced approach to development will be essential for Essengue's future.
Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has already said that Essengue will be brought along slowly. It’s even likely he’ll spend more time with the Bulls’ G-League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, than with the Chicago roster itself.
Still, as a lottery pick, there’s always a path to playing time—even in a reserve role. Ahead of the Bulls’ preseason opener, Chicago Tribune reporter Julia Poe outlined plausible ways for Essengue to earn NBA minutes.
Poe wrote that Bulls head coach Billy Donovan highlighted footwork as a particular area of growth for Essengue, noting that the young forward is already confident in the open court but struggles at times in half-court offense and defense. Poe also referenced Donovan’s comments on Essengue’s physicality as another strength to build upon.
Perhaps most telling was Donovan highlighting Essengue’s need to improve his footwork, aside from his physicality—a relatively small area of development, yet one that looms large for an 18-year-old. Donovan specifically said, “His feet offensively and defensively—guarding one-on-one in space, being able to handle the physicality in the game defensively—those would be things he needs to keep progressing at to improve upon…"
Fans will undoubtedly be eager to see Essengue in his first NBA action, but they need to understand just how much the lanky forward still has to develop to consistently see the floor. The Bulls didn’t draft him to contribute right away; they selected him because he fits the team’s scheme and has the potential to become an All-Star down the line.
Essengue’s game is tailor-made for scoring easy buckets in transition and wreaking havoc defensively. But the little things, such as spatial awareness and, as Donovan noted, footwork, will be crucial for the Frenchman to earn playing time.