Only three first-round draft picks have yet to appear in a game this season: 15th-overall pick Thomas Sorber, sidelined by a torn ACL; 20th pick Kasparas Jakucionis, still nursing a groin injury; and 12th-overall pick Noa Essengue… because, well, he’s just not ready yet.
Despite being a lottery selection, Essengue hasn’t come close to seeing action this season. He’s already logged significant time with the Windy City Bulls, having been sent to Hoffman Estates twice. The first stint lasted three days before a recall; the second ended even quicker, with an immediate call-up following practice.
Bulls rookie awaits first opportunity
Still, while this has been the plan all along, there now appears to be a real path for Essengue to see some playing time in the near future. For one, even after being sent to the G League to open November, the Bulls recalled him ahead of their two-game road trip.
While Essengue didn’t appear in either of Chicago’s road contests, the timing of his recall stood out—it came just before the Windy City Bulls’ season opener, an odd coincidence considering the 18-year-old might have logged meaningful minutes with the G League squad.
Nonetheless, it’s clear the Bulls prefer having Essengue around the big-league squad. After sending him down most recently, they recalled him immediately following a single practice. Windy City’s next game is Tuesday, November 11, while Chicago faces the San Antonio Spurs at the United Center the night before, on Monday, November 10. Still, the Bulls could just as easily keep Essengue with the G League team ahead of its matchup with the Wisconsin Herd.
Quickly recalling Essengue is by no means an indication that he’ll make his season debut against the Spurs. As referenced, the plan is for him to be brought along very slowly. For what it’s worth, he won’t even turn 19 until a week before Christmas, on December 18.
But, again, he was the 12th overall pick, for crying out loud—that means something, no matter how raw he is. And with Coby White out of the lineup and Josh Giddey nursing a sprained ankle, Chicago could be in for a long night against the 7–2 Spurs.
With Giddey potentially out of the lineup, Billy Donovan will have to run a deeper rotation, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Essengue will see the floor. The rookie’s first action could come in the event of a blowout.
The Bulls have been involved in numerous close games this season, which hasn’t left much opportunity for Essengue to see the floor. But with Giddey potentially sidelined and a matchup against the struggling Utah Jazz to close out the week, there’s a real chance the rookie could finally log his first NBA minutes.