The Bulls have spent most of this ugly season searching for anything that looks like a solution. In Noa Essengue, they may have stumbled onto at least a temporary one.
After barely seeing the floor as a rookie - just two games and six total minutes in 2025-26 - the 19-year-old wing is finally getting real NBA run, and he’s making it count. Over eight games, Essengue has pushed his way into the rotation and given Chicago a reason to believe the No. 12 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft still has plenty left to offer.
The raw season numbers still look rough. Essengue is shooting 37.8 percent from the field and 17.6 percent from three, ugly marks by any standard.
But the last four games have changed the conversation. In that stretch, he’s averaging 8.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in just 14.8 minutes per night, production that works out to 20.7 points and 12.2 rebounds per 36 minutes.
He’s also up to 40.7 percent shooting from the field over those four games, a clear jump from the 30.0 percent he posted through his first four appearances.
And this hasn’t come against soft competition. Essengue’s recent work has come against the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia 76ers.
He opened with 10 points and four rebounds in 16 minutes against Boston, followed that with eight points and six boards in 14 minutes against Philadelphia, then put up six points and three rebounds in 14 minutes against New York. He closed the stretch with 10 points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes in a rematch with Philadelphia.
What stands out most isn’t just the production. It’s the willingness.
While Chicago has looked hesitant all season, Essengue has not. He’s taken 16.6 field goals per 36 minutes over the past four games, which ranks No. 2 among qualified Bulls behind Caleb Wilson.
That matters on a team that has seemed reluctant to shoot and has often pushed the burden onto a rookie. Essengue hasn’t played like someone waiting for the game to come to him. He’s been aggressive, and that gives Chicago something it badly needs: a young player who isn’t shrinking from the moment.
His impact shows up on the scoreboard, too. The Bulls have been 2.8 points per 100 possessions better with Essengue on the court over the past four games. He’s also made life difficult for Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Maxey, holding them to a combined 2-of-9 shooting from the field.
He’s not a finished defender, and nobody is pretending he is. But at 6-foot-11, Essengue is using his size well, and Chicago has allowed 3.5 fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the floor than without him over the last four games.
There are still plenty of questions around his game. There’s more uncertainty than certainty here. But after a rookie year that barely existed and a season that has offered little else, Essengue’s emergence is at least one legitimate bright spot for the Bulls.
In Other News...
Noa Essengue Just Made More Sense For The Bulls Rebuild
Isaac Okoros spot start against the 76ers offered a useful snapshot of where the Bulls are trying to go in this rebuild. With Norman Powell sidelined, Okoro was asked to absorb a bigger defensive load in a close loss, and he did enough on that end to remind the staff why versatile wing defense still matters so much to this rosters future.
Noa Essengue, the Bulls 2025 first-round pick, is the more intriguing long-term version of that idea. Chicago views him as someone who could eventually fill, and maybe surpass, the kind of role Okoro handled in Philadelphia, especially if his development keeps moving on defense. The upside is clear, but so is the work ahead as he continues building the strength, defensive feel and consistency needed to stick in that kind of assignment night after night. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Giddey Just Gave Bulls Fans A Reason To Believe
Josh Giddeys ninth game of the season offered the Bulls a much better glimpse of what their offense can look like when he is aggressive from the opening tip. After a slow start marked by limited scoring and too few shot attempts, he helped Chicago hang with Philadelphia in a 125-121 loss by pushing the pace, creating for others and looking far more comfortable as a scorer. The result was another defeat, but it also felt like one of those nights that can matter later, because the Bulls need Giddey to be both a playmaker and a threat to score.
The encouraging part for Chicago was not just the production, but the assertiveness behind it. Giddey was more decisive in the half court and more willing to take what the defense gave him, which is exactly the kind of balance the Bulls have been waiting to see. If he can keep pairing that kind of confidence with his passing, Chicagos offense should have a much steadier foundation moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Jordans Respect For Scottie Pippen Came With One Sad Twist
Scottie Pippens memoir, Unguarded, adds another layer to one of the Bulls most famous partnerships, and it starts with a compliment from Michael Jordan that never really reached the person it was meant for. According to Pippen, Jordan told coach Phil Jackson during the 1992 Olympics that Pippen was the best all-around player on the Dream Team, a striking bit of praise considering the two were already being measured against each other at the highest level.
The twist, of course, is that Pippen says he did not hear about it until years later, which fits the uneasy distance that has long marked their relationship away from the court. For all the championships and shared history in Chicago, Pippen says the bond was never especially close, leaving this as one more reminder that respect and friendship do not always travel together. [Read more 🡒]