Noa Essengue is making the kind of early impression the Bulls badly need to see.
Chicago’s bigger-picture challenge in 2026-27 isn’t hard to spot: identify the young talent already on the roster and actually develop it. The front office has already added pieces like Bryson Graham’s defensive, athletic vision and veteran help in Norman Powell, Nic Claxton, and Buddy Hield. That matters, but it won’t mean much if the younger core doesn’t take real steps forward by season’s end.
Most of the focus will naturally land on Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis, with Dailyn Swain getting some of that attention too. But Essengue belongs in that conversation. Even as a holdover from the old regime, his upside as a two-way wing and combo forward is too intriguing to brush aside.
The concern was simple enough: after missing his rookie season and looking uncomfortable in Summer League, it was fair to wonder whether he’d be ready to carve out a legitimate NBA rotation role before the end of this regular season. On a roster that still has plenty of frontcourt bodies, that kind of uncertainty could easily slow his path.
Wednesday brought a much better read on where things stand. Tiago Splitter said Essengue has attacked camp with purpose, showing aggression, competing on every possession and protecting the rim over the past few days.
“He’s fighting for a spot. He wants to play for us. This is great, I like his ambition. … he’s gonna follow a role, we gave him a role.”
That kind of buy-in is exactly what Chicago needs from him. Essengue’s Summer League showing in Las Vegas did not suggest a player ready to hit the ground running. He averaged just 6.5 points and shot 43.8% from the field in four appearances, and he looked overmatched at times against bigger, stronger competition.
Still, the long view matters here. With his length and athleticism, Essengue could eventually fit neatly next to Wilson and Buzelis in the frontcourt. He has the tools to help defensively, and there should be a future opening for a player with his profile on the offensive end once Jalen Smith, Patrick Williams, and Isaac Okoro are no longer on the roster.
For now, though, the formula is more straightforward than flashy. Essengue’s path to minutes will come from the edges: help defense, rebounding battles against opposing forwards, and enough reliability to force his way into the rotation. He’ll need NBA minutes to become the kind of forward Chicago wants him to be, but those minutes won’t be handed over easily.
That’s what makes this start to camp so encouraging. The Bulls still have to sort out a crowded rotation and manage the trade value of the players already in place, which means Smith, Williams, and Okoro all have a role to play this season. If Essengue is already pushing for space anyway, that’s a meaningful development.
His next step is clear: keep forcing the issue and take minutes from the bench pieces in front of him, whether that comes as a wing or as a combo forward.
In Other News...
Bulls Camp Is Already Changing How Fans Should See These Two Youngsters
The Bulls have wrapped up their first week of training camp, and the early returns have given the team a little more to work with when it comes to two young players trying to carve out roles. Head coach Tiago Splitter has pointed to noticeable growth across the roster, but second-year forward Noa Essengue has stood out for the kind of progress that can change how a prospect is viewed before the season even begins.
Essengues camp showing has looked different from his Summer League run, while Dailyn Swain is working through a bigger adjustment of his own as he settles into a lead-guard, distributor role. It is a meaningful shift for Swain after being used more as an ISO scorer at Texas, and the early stretch of camp suggests the Bulls are still sorting out just how quickly he can translate that change into real backcourt value. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Young Core Already Faces A Big Tiago Splitter Test
The Bulls are asking a young roster to grow up with some help from a veteran who has seen just about everything the league can throw at a player. Norman Powell brings 11 NBA seasons and a recent All-Star appearance to a group that is still sorting out its identity, and he has already signaled that he wants to be more than just a name in the locker room. For a team trying to build something sturdier around its younger pieces, that kind of voice matters.
Under Tiago Splitters new staff, the early message has been less about flash and more about structure, with Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue among the players adjusting to new roles and different expectations. Powells presence should help smooth that transition, but it also puts a spotlight on how quickly Chicagos young core can absorb those lessons and turn them into real on-court progress. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Have Better Uses For Pelicans Ties Than This Reunion
Bryson Grahams ties to New Orleans have already shown up once for the Bulls, with the Chicago executive helping bring in veteran shooter Buddy Hield, a player the Pelicans originally drafted. So when another former Pelicans connection surfaced this week, it was natural to wonder whether Chicago might have another angle to explore through that familiar pipeline.
Memphis waived Jordan Hawkins, the ex-Pelicans first-round pick, but the fit in Chicago does not appear likely. Hawkins was a prolific college shooter at UConn, yet he has not carried that success into the NBA, and the Bulls are looking for more immediate help than another reclamation project. For now, the more relevant takeaway is that Grahams New Orleans background can still be useful, just probably not in this particular case. [Read more 🡒]