Chicago Bulls forward Noa Essengue is in a tough situation right now. He's a product of one of the weakest classes in recent NBA Draft history, a gamble of the previous regime, and a player who may have lost his opportunity to start before even getting one.
With Bryson Graham and Tiago Splitter in town, the French forward won't have the same path to the court as most lottery picks. He'll have to earn his stripes and prove that, even though they didn't select him, he can still contribute to their goal.
Unfortunately, things got off to a rocky start. He was borderline unplayable in the Summer League, to the point Splitter got him off the floor. Now, it looks like he's finally turning heads in training camp, according to Sports Illustrated's Elias Schuster.
Noa Essengue is finally turning heads for the Bulls
"To Essengue's credit, however, he has bounced back well. Tiago Splitter praised the forward earlier this week, calling out his all-around aggressiveness on the practice court. He said it's clear that Essengue is fighting for playing time, which is far from a given on this current roster," Schuster said.
Essengue is incredibly raw, but he's got intriguing physical tools. He's a blank canvas, and his numbers in his short G League stint last season were encouraging, even with his flaws as a floor-spacer.
He's got the length and the athleticism to be an absolute pest on the defensive end of the floor. He might not play much right out of the gate, but the Bulls can have opposing defenses in hell with him and Caleb Wilson handling opposing forwards.
Clearly, missing most of his rookie season didn't do anything to help his development, and knowing there's a new regime and a flashy toy in town can hurt his confidence. He's the obvious odd man out, which also hurts his trade value.
As things stand now, the Bulls may have no choice but to work with him and hope for the best. He looked a couple of years away from making a true impact when they drafted him, but he'll have to beat that clock after a redshirt season, with Buzelis' surge and Wilson's arrival.
At least, it's nice to see that his disastrous Summer League didn't break his stride. It takes a lot of maturity and mental fortitude to put that behind you, get to work on your flaws, and prove to your new coach that you can help, that you don't need to ride the pine, even against borderline amateur players.
The Bulls must favor player development over wins this season, and maybe even next one. And even though this new set of decision-makers didn't even ask for him, they might as well try to make the best out of this situation.
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