The Chicago Bulls made Noa Essengue the No. 12 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft after falling in love with his physical gifts and sky-high ceiling. In an ideal world, he would develop into an All-NBA caliber defender, transition nightmare and catch-and-shoot threat -- but no one expects him to become Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Right?
Sure, there may be some similarities, because any raw, teenage international prospect blessed with rare traits and upside is now compared to Giannis. Essengue measured 6-foot-10 barefoot at the 2025 draft combine with a 7-foot wingspan, 9-foot-1 standing reach and 9-foot-10-inch hands.
He also weighed a wildly slim 204 pounds and moves far more smoothly than anyone his size has any business doing; so physically, yes, he resembles the Greek Freak.
But more than his physical tools, Antetokounmpo's borderline psychotic work ethic and unquenchable thirst for winning are what make him one of the best players in the world. Not many athletes, or human beings for that matter, are wired the same way, which is what makes these comparisons unfair.
That clearly won't stop them, though, especially from overly enthusiastic Bulls fans.
Noa Essengue: Chicago Bulls' answer to Giannis Antetokounmpo?
Like the Bucks' two-time MVP, Essengue is better in the open court and driving to the rim but needs significant work on his outside shot. He also needs to add a mass of muscle.
Should he reach the pinnacle of his potential, though -- like the absolute pinnacle -- he could have a Giannis-lite sort of impact in Chicago. But Trey Kerby, co-host of the No Dunks Podcast and a die-hard Bulls fan, has the highest of hopes for the 18-year-old as he explained on The Kevin O'Connor Show.
Kerby opined that Essengue's strengths right now are "running and dunking" but questioned the Frenchman's ability to create off the dribble, a fairly spot-on scouting report, but added that the Bulls were right to draft a high-upside player.
He went down the Antetokounmpo rabbit hole, touching on Essengue's length, athleticism and age, but then took a wild detour even the most confident Bulls fans don't often dare to travel down:
"When I'm feeling my most optimistic, I like to think that the Bulls have the next two Giannises," Kerby said. "They've got the next American Giannis in Matas Buzelis and then the French Giannis in Noa Essengue."
That's not only a lofty comparison for Essengue and a lofty comparison for Buzelis, it's a hysterically lofty goal for both, which, to be fair, Kerby made clear. It wasn't any kind of prediction; rather, a rashly rosy outlook on the future of a franchise that desperately needs something to look forward to.
As crazy as the idea sounds, it's fair for Kerby to be deliriously optimistic.