Noa Essengue did enough in Bulls preseason to make one thing clear: he belongs in the rotation.
Chicago is spending this season trying to sort out which young pieces can become part of the long-term core under new head coach Tiago Splitter, and the spotlight will mostly land on Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis. But Essengue, a recent lottery pick, forced his way into that conversation too after a preseason that offered real encouragement.
That was no small development for a 6'9" forward who missed virtually his entire rookie year with a shoulder injury and then turned in a Summer League stretch that underlined how much strength and physicality he still needs. Coming into preseason, it was fair to wonder how ready he really was. Four games later, the answer looked a lot better.
Essengue still isn’t positioned to carry a big workload, and the Bulls have enough depth up front that his place won’t be automatic if the minutes don’t go well. Isaac Okoro and Dailyn Swain are both in line to get time at small forward, while Chicago also needs to learn more about Leonard Miller and Patrick Williams in this new system. Still, Essengue appears to have done enough to claim a spot in that group at the start.
The raw numbers weren’t loud. He averaged 5.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in four preseason appearances, while shooting just 32.5% from the field. But the more telling stuff came in how he operated around the edges of the offense.
In the Bulls’ final preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Essengue scored seven points on 3-of-5 shooting. Both misses came from three-point range, yet he also showed some real craft getting the ball into the paint and finishing through his defender’s presence at the rim. He added a steal and a sharp transition assist just outside the restricted area to a cutting Miller.
That kind of night won’t make him a headline act, especially if his regular-season minutes stay modest. But for Essengue, the goal in 2026-27 is broader than points per game. He needs to build confidence in the other pieces of his offense and learn how to function as more than just a shooter.
There are still obvious rough edges. He doesn’t look especially comfortable from deep, and he can hesitate when a defender is sitting on his drive.
Even so, the Bulls seem to have seen enough to give him a real chance to grow. Essengue needs minutes, and preseason suggested he’s earned a decent share of them under Splitter.
In Other News...
Bulls Win Still Left One Concern Fans Shouldn't Ignore
The Bulls 125-104 win over the Bucks looked like the kind of early-season statement that can steady a locker room and energize a fan base. Chicago got useful production from Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis, Noa Essengue, Norman Powell and Jalen Smith, and the result said plenty about how the Bulls handled a shorthanded Milwaukee group by turning mistakes into momentum.
Still, there was a reason not to get too carried away. The same kind of sloppiness that helped Chicago run away with it also pointed to the sort of discipline test that can show up again once opponents are healthier and sharper, and the Bulls will want to make sure their best stretches are built on more than just what the other side gives away. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Young Core Is Already Forcing A Real Rotation Debate
Chicagos fourth preseason win, a 121-98 finish over Milwaukee, offered a little bit of everything the Bulls have been chasing as the regular season approaches. Against a Bucks group missing several key players, Chicago ran the floor well, moved the ball with purpose and got useful looks from a mix of veterans and younger pieces, including Norman Powell, Matas Buzelis, Noa Essengue and Josh Giddey.
The broader takeaway was less about the final score than the competition it surfaced for minutes. Buzelis and Essengue, in particular, helped underline how quickly the Bulls young core is pressing into the conversation, while Giddeys playmaking fit neatly into the kind of lineup decisions that now seem less straightforward than they did a week ago. The preseason is supposed to sort out roles, but this group may be making that process harder in exactly the right way. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Suddenly Enter A Star Chase That Could Change Everything
Karl-Anthony Towns and the Knicks still have not come to terms on a contract extension, and the situation has become one more piece of business New York is choosing to park while it focuses on defending a championship and sorting out other roster decisions, including Josh Harts contract. For teams watching from the outside, that has created a real opening around one of the leagues most talented big men, with the Bulls suddenly mentioned among the clubs keeping tabs on where this goes next.
An anonymous NBA executive has already pointed to Chicago and the Clippers as possible landing spots if Towns does not re-sign with New York, a reminder that every delay in extension talks can change the market quickly. For the Bulls, the appeal is obvious: a player of Towns caliber rarely becomes available, and if the Knicks continue to hold off on a deal, Chicago could find itself in a position to make a move it did not seem to have on the board not long ago. [Read more 🡒]