Another Buzelis? Bulls draft Essengue, a raw prospect with big potential

Brad Penner - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 5 hours ago

When the Bulls drafted Matas Buzelis in 2024, there were a lot of mixed reviews with that pick. Sure, Buzelis was an athletically gifted wing with great potential, but his inconsistent shooting and lack of size were a concern for the fan base. Buzelis not only worked out in the Bulls' favor, but he also emerged as a legitimate playmaker on this team and, without question, is a building block for their future.

Given the overall talent and depth of this year's draft class, the Bulls had an opportunity to make a splash in the first round, as several great prospects were available when they picked at 12. Linked to several players, including Maryland center Derrick Queen, who wound up going one pick after the Bulls, it was Chicago that took a swing on an upside play as they drafted Noa Essengue with the No.12 overall selection.

This was a move that elicited a similar reaction to when Buzelis was taken last year, but once again, Essengue is more of an upside play. Considering how he was valued as the ninth-best prospect, some feel the Bulls are getting a steal with him falling to 12. One of the younger prospects in this year's class (18), Essengue is another classic, athletically gifted wing, standing at 6-10 and weighing 194 pounds.

He will have to put on plenty of weight over the next few years, but with a wingspan better than 7-0, he has the potential to play multiple positions and could be a matchup problem on the offensive end. He seems to fit exactly the archetype that this organization started to covet last season with their selection of Buzelis, as the Bulls seem to be gravitating more toward athletically gifted players with upside as opposed to going after a more proven college product.

If it works, then this organization will be a genius for taking that approach. However, most of what Arturas Karnisovas has done hasn't worked, so it's not easy to trust anything he does immediately until we see the finished product. While he has the NBA athleticism and NBA height, what about the other parts of his game in terms of what he brings to the table?

When you look at his career, Essengue has played in 25 total games, averaging 9.7 PPG. That isn't going to cut it in today's NBA if you're a first-round pick, but it's what he has done this season that has gotten the attention of the Bulls. Across 18 games this season, Essengue has upped his PPG to 12.4 PPG while adding 5.3 APG and nearly 2.0 RPG.

He has done that while shooting nearly 66% from the field and close to 30% from deep, as he has no trouble finding the basket when he has the opportunity. Some have compared him to Patrick Williams, which no Bulls fan wants to hear, but they have also said he is a more polished product than Williams was at his age and could be what the Bulls thought Williams would be.

Draft Grade B+: Of all the picks in the first round, Essengue comes with the widest range, which tends to happen when you draft a high-upside player. Some outlets have given the Bulls an A grade for this pick, while others have gone as low as a B, so it seems fair to put him right in the middle of the high-end and low-end grades.

It's tough to predict the type of player Essengue will become, as this is solely an upside play. Should his jumper get to the point where it becomes a reliable weapon, then this pick will look like a steal for Chicago. He’s a player with enough tools to be an asset in the right system and has elite defensive potential.

The defensive potential is what the Bulls are hoping for, as this team had numerous defensive issues last season and recognizes that it is what they need to improve. If his shooting develops to make him an even better player, Essengue has the potential to become a player like Nicolas Batum, who would be an asset for years to come.