The Bulls have a Noa Essengue question they can’t keep kicking down the road.
Chicago used the No. 12 pick on Essengue, and the early returns have done little to calm the skepticism. He was always seen as a polarizing, intriguing swing, but not one that came with any real expectation of immediate help.
That part has played out exactly as advertised. The problem is what comes next.
Essengue missed most of his rookie year because of an injury and managed only flashes in a handful of G League appearances. Then came a rough Summer League that only sharpened the concern around his path with the team.
He opened with a solid debut, but Game 2 turned into a mess. He was on the floor more than he was making plays, piled up turnovers at an alarming rate and looked out of sync from start to finish.
Tiago Splitter eventually pulled him from the rotation because he wanted more from him, and Essengue later came off the bench in the following games. He was a little better after that, but the damage had already been done.
That’s where the real issue starts for Chicago. Essengue is tied to the previous front office and coaching staff, which means Bryson Graham’s group and Splitter’s staff didn’t draft him and don’t have any built-in attachment to him. They inherited him, plain and simple.
At the same time, the Bulls are going to pour minutes and touches into Caleb Wilson to help him develop, and that leaves Essengue fighting for leftovers. A bench role is the most obvious landing spot right now, but even that raises the bigger question: how long is the leash, and how patient will this new regime be?
The talent is obvious enough. The tools are there.
But Essengue also admitted he needed to relearn how to shoot, and that has never been the cleanest part of his game anyway. Add in the fact that he essentially burned a rookie season, and Chicago has every reason to start asking hard questions.
Should the Bulls see if the market will give them something before the situation gets any colder? Was Summer League a blip, or a warning? Does Essengue even fit alongside Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson?
Those are the kinds of decisions the Bulls will be sorting through over the next few months.
In Other News...
Bulls Fans Can Finally Judge Bryson Grahams First Big Roster Bet
Bryson Grahams first offseason running the Bulls basketball operations office gave Chicago plenty to evaluate before training camp even gets rolling. He used the summer to reshape the roster around a young core, taking Caleb Wilson at No. 4 overall, adding Norman Powell on a two-year deal, landing Nic Claxton in a trade and bringing back Zach Collins, all while signaling that development would remain a priority for a team trying to move forward without boxing itself in.
The bigger question now is how those moves will hold up once the season pressure starts to build. The Bulls still have room to keep tinkering before opening night, and the way Graham has approached the roster suggests he wants options as much as immediate help, which means the real judgment on this first big bet may not come until the front office decides whether to stay patient or make one more move. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Offseason Pivot Around Patrick Williams Just Got More Serious
The Bulls offseason has already turned into a search for ways to reshape the roster around a younger core, and Patrick Williams has emerged as one of the more notable names in the conversation. Chicago has been weighing different trade scenarios with teams such as the Clippers and Kings, using Williams contract and uneven production as part of a broader effort to improve the roster without waiting for internal growth alone.
What makes the discussion more interesting is the direction of the Bulls interest. The front office is not just looking to move money around or add another stopgap piece, but is trying to land a player who better fits the timeline and, in the process, collect added draft help. Until a deal actually gets done, the Williams chatter remains part of the larger offseason pivot, but it is a strong signal that Chicago is prepared to be more aggressive than usual. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Suddenly Have A Dailyn Swain Problem They Can't Ignore
Dailyn Swains first run with the Bulls did not do much to quiet the questions around his long-term fit. Over four Summer League games, the rookie struggled to finish plays cleanly and never found any real rhythm, with erratic ball handling and shaky decisions making it hard to see an immediate path to steady NBA minutes. For a team looking to sort out the back end of its roster, that kind of showing matters, even in a setting where growth usually counts more than results.
The Bulls still have preseason chances to get a clearer read on how far Swain has to go and whether there is a role for him sooner rather than later. For now, the bigger issue is development, and there is already a sense among observers that a stint in the G League may be the best next step before he can be trusted with meaningful playing time in Chicago. [Read more 🡒]