The Chicago Bulls, sitting at 6-4, are one of the NBA’s biggest early surprises. Few pundits—or even sportsbooks—expected Chicago to reel off five straight wins and notch six victories within the first three weeks of the season, especially with Coby White sidelined.
Yet here we are: the Bulls are suddenly contenders. Sure, we’re not even a month into the season, but Chicago sits at 6-4 after navigating the league’s toughest schedule so far. The Bulls are remarkably well-balanced, effective on both ends of the floor, and even feature a surprising early MVP candidate.
However, despite the Bulls’ early-season success, an intriguing—and potentially concerning—trend is emerging: Chicago has largely neglected its younger prospects to start the season.
The risk of ignoring young talent
Of course, the elephant in the room is Noa Essengue, the 12th overall pick, who has yet to log a single NBA minute. Essengue is one of only three first-rounders who haven’t seen the floor this season, joining the injured duo of Thomas Sorber and Kasparas Jakucionis. Moreover, third and fourth-year wings Julian Phillips and Dalen Terry have combined to play only 87 minutes.
The Bulls have instead relied on a nine-man rotation, with only eight players eclipsing 200 minutes so far. It’s not that Chicago is unwilling to trust its youth; four of the five starters are 25 or younger, but early-season success shouldn’t come at the expense of developing fringe prospects who deserve some run.
At just 18 years old, Essengue isn’t ready for a full-time rotational role—that’s a given. Still, he didn’t look overwhelmed in the preseason, and his G League debut was eye-opening. Essengue poured in 28 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 29 minutes during a 13-point win over the Wisconsin Herd. The 6-foot-10 forward shot 11-of-21 from the field and 2-of-6 from three-point range.
G League success doesn’t always translate to NBA impact—that’s also a given. Nonetheless, Essengue simply looks the part. He doesn’t need 20, or even 15, minutes a night to make a difference; brief spurts here and there would do the 18-year-old justice and could even benefit the Bulls. Essengue is a long, rangy athlete who thrives in a structured environment surrounded by capable playmakers. And if he can’t crack the rotation in meaningful moments, who’s to say he shouldn’t get a few minutes when games are out of hand?
Terry and Phillips remains unknowns years into their careers
Terry and Phillips are both older than Essengue and are viewed as less valuable long-term prospects. Yet neither player has any guaranteed money left on their contracts. Terry is in the final year of his rookie deal, while Phillips carries a $2.4 million team option for next season.
Thus, the Bulls have only a limited window to determine which players are truly rotation-worthy. But that’s impossible if they aren’t getting any minutes. Conversely, it’s equally difficult to trade one or both of the wings if they’re stuck on the bench.
It’s certainly a dilemma in Chicago, but one that can be addressed. Billy Donovan isn’t overplaying his starters; only Josh Giddey and Nikola Vucevic are averaging more than 30 minutes per game. That’s not an issue. Still, the Bulls’ balance is evident, with eight players logging over 20 minutes per contest. There’s a straightforward path to giving Terry, Phillips, and even Essengue more time: reduce minutes for a few rotation players, such as Isaac Okoro or Patrick Williams.
After multiple seasons, Chicago still doesn’t know what it has in Terry or Phillips, and giving Essengue no playing time is worrisome. This isn’t to suggest the three youngsters need a significant role, but the Bulls do need to determine whether any of them can contribute meaningfully to a winning team.