The Chicago Bulls entered the Bryson Graham era with two first-round picks and a potential franchise player waiting for them at No. 4. As expected, the pieces fell right into place, and UNC star Caleb Wilson is now a Bull.
The Bulls added Daylin Swain at No. 15 and traded out of the second round to get their hands on Kam Jones. It was a fairly solid performance overall, leaving the door wide open for other potential transactions in the next couple of weeks.
However, as positive as this may have been for the organization, that may not necessarily be the case with Noa Essengue. The Bulls will give Wilson as many minutes and touches as he can handle, and he may now be the odd man out.
What will the Bulls do with Noa Essengue?
Essengue played a grand total of six minutes as a rookie. A shoulder injury ended his campaign early, and he was always a raw prospect who would be a work in progress. His physical tools and upside were evident, but he needed as many minutes as he could possibly get.
The Bulls traded for Nic Claxton and drafted Wilson, so that doesn't leave that much room for Essengue. He can play both forward spots or even some small-ball center, but it's hard to believe he'll be given a fair shot, given that he's a remnant from the previous regime.
Essengue looked solid in the G-League. He shot 50.8 percent from the floor and averaged 23.0 points, 6.3 rebounds (including 1.5 offensive rebounds), 2.8 dimes, 1.3 steals, 1.3 three-pointers, and one block per contest. His three-point shot wasn't quite there (23.8 percent), but he sank 84.2 percent of his free throws.
The Bulls are rebuilding. As such, they should focus more on hoarding and developing talent than on their fit. Otherwise, they probably would've gone in a different direction, perhaps trading down for Keaton Eagler, instead of taking another lanky forward at No. 4.
Nonetheless, Wilson's upside was just too high to ignore, and there was no way to justify not taking him that high, especially with Essengue being so raw. The Bulls have to figure out how Wilson and Matas Buzelis can coexist on the court, leaving their former first-round pick as the odd man out and likely settling for second-unit minutes.
Of course, it's way too early to give up on him. Even if he's the last first-round selection of the failed AKME era, Essengue can still turn out to be a valuable contributor. For now, he'll have to fight with bones and nails for every minute.
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