The Chicago Bulls finally got Noa Essengue on the floor in an NBA game, but he has played a total of six minutes in their first 17 contests. The 12th overall pick did not play one second in the first 15 before finally getting a chance against the Wizards. In a game where Nikola Vucevic ripped the team’s toughness, the rookie got less than four minutes. The Bulls followed it with just two minutes in a blowout loss to the Pelicans.
Essengue is looking like a bust because he never gets the opportunity to play. The 18-year-old forward isn’t ready for massive minutes, but why is head coach Billy Donovan playing him for four minutes? The Bulls are a middle-of-the-pack team that should be looking to develop young talent. That is simply not happening here.
Young players need freedom to make mistakes and opportunities to explore. Chicago picked him in the lottery because they believe in his talent. They knew he wasn’t NBA-ready, but the teenager has shown flashes in the G League already. The Bulls must give him playing time, especially when they are dealing with injuries.
Bulls need to play Noa Essengue more
In his two G League games, Essengue averaged 25.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 steal in 30.4 minutes per contest. He immediately stood out in his debut and was just reassigned to Windy City on Tuesday. Getting him significant run in the G League is better than letting him do nothing on the bench in Chicago.
The Bulls were without five players for Monday’s game against the Pelicans. Nikola Vucevic, Zach Collins, Isaac Okoro, Kevin Huerter, and Dalen Terry all sat out with injuries. Even with so many players out, including multiple big men, Donovan only played the rookie two minutes. The Bulls lost by 13 and trailed by double digits for the entire fourth quarter. How was there no room to play Essengue more?
The Bulls are a fringe playoff team in a wide-open Eastern Conference. The urge to win every game is understandable, but losing a few minutes to get a teenage rookie valuable experience would pay dividends long-term. For a team not competing for a championship, that seems worthwhile. Billy Donovan and the Bulls clearly do not subscribe to the same theory.
Bulls fans wanting to see the rookie get significant minutes will likely have to tune into a Windy City game this season. The teenager is not ready to impact winning in the NBA, but first-year players usually aren’t. Essengue is no exception.
The Chicago Bulls should be able to find moments to use Noa Essengue. In games against rebuilding teams like the Wizards or when multiple players are sidelined, he should play. Coach Donovan and the Bulls are wasting those valuable learning experiences they can’t get back. It is stunting Essengue’s development and hurting the franchise’s future. That sounds downright ridiculous to me.