The Bulls came out of the 2025 NBA Draft with the No. 12 pick and used it on Frenchman Noa Essengue. Two spots earlier, the Phoenix Suns grabbed Khaman Maluach - and after 11 days in Las Vegas, it’s easy to see why Chicago might be kicking itself.
Maluach turned Summer League into a showcase. He turned heads with his size, his shot-blocking, and enough touch to hint at real floor-spacing upside. For a Bulls team still searching for a long-term center, that kind of player would have fit cleanly into the picture.
Across four Summer League games, Maluach was the best player on Phoenix’s roster and one of the most productive players in the entire event. He played 27.4 minutes per game and put up 19.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.2 steals, and 2.0 blocks while shooting 53.2% from the field and 40.0% from three on 5.0 attempts per game.
That’s the kind of line that makes front offices pay attention. It also made the Bulls’ miss feel a little sharper.
Essengue, meanwhile, hasn’t given Chicago that same kind of early payoff. In fact, his latest Summer League run was worse than the one he had in Vegas right after being drafted.
He appeared in four games for the Bulls, averaging 18.6 minutes while posting 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.8 blocks. He shot 43.8% from the floor and 16.7% from deep on 1.5 three-point attempts per game.
Chicago did add Nicolas Claxton this summer, but the center spot still doesn’t have a clear long-term answer. Maluach looked like the kind of player who could have filled that role. The Bulls just came up two picks short.
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