The Bulls got a little closer to sorting out their frontcourt picture, and one of their younger pieces is back in the mix.
Noa Essengue returned to the rotation on Monday evening after missing the team’s matchup with the Washington Wizards because of a head injury suffered in Chicago’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks. He had entered the game as questionable, then got the green light before tip-off.
Essengue’s latest outing followed what was easily his strongest NBA performance so far against Milwaukee. The 19-year-old finished with just 4 points, but his defensive impact stood out.
He picked off several steals and came up with a huge block off the backboard, giving Tiago Splitter another look at the kind of disruptive defender he can become. The offense is still coming along, but the Bulls have enough reason to keep leaning into what he can do on that end.
That said, Boston was a much rougher assignment. Essengue struggled badly against the Celtics, going 0-5 from the field, picking up five fouls, and finishing minus-25 in 16 minutes.
Even so, his spot in the picture seems secure enough for now. Chicago is clearly in development mode, and Essengue remains one of the rawest players on the roster.
The bigger roster development may be the eventual return of Nic Claxton. The newly acquired big man has been out since before Chicago’s first preseason game after straining his hamstring in training camp. The injury was originally expected to keep him out for two weeks, but a reevaluation pushed that timeline back.
Tiago Splitter said on Oct. 19 that Claxton would need a couple more weeks before he was ready to get back on the floor. In the meantime, the Bulls have turned to Jalen Smith in the starting lineup, with Zach Collins also seeing minutes while Leonard Miller has been part of the small-ball bench looks.
Before tip-off in Boston, though, the Sun-Times Joe Cowley reported an encouraging step: Claxton completed an individual workout on Monday, and the hope is that he can begin practicing with the team next week.
That still doesn’t guarantee a game appearance right away. Chicago has three games coming up - road trips on Monday and Wednesday, then a home game against the 76ers on Sunday afternoon - and Claxton would almost certainly need time to ramp up after such a long absence.
When he does return, the Bulls believe he can help right away in some areas. Their rim protection has been a real issue, with opponents scoring 53.0 points in the paint per game over the first week, eighth-most in the NBA. Claxton isn’t the same rim protector he was a few years ago, but he does give Chicago another big body with solid instincts and legitimate versatility.
Still, this isn’t a simple plug-and-play situation. Smith has been one of Chicago’s better early-season performers, and that complicates the starting-center conversation. His floor spacing opens things up for Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis, and with the Bulls’ three-point shooting described as borderline disastrous, Smith’s ability to hit from deep has become a major asset.
So the Bulls are moving in two directions at once: one young forward trying to carve out a role through defense, and one veteran-sized frontcourt piece inching closer to his debut with the team. For Chicago, both developments matter.
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