French market: Bulls opt for athletic potential of Essengue with No. 12 pick
The Bulls found a good fit with the No. 12 pick of Wednesday's NBA Draft.
They took 6-foot-11 French forward Noa Essengue, an intriguing athlete whose best skill seems to be running the floor, which blends with the way the Bulls played last season.
He's also the second-youngest player in the draft, so his ultimate potential, along with his offensive skills, could remain a mystery for a few years.
Essengue, who won't turn 19 until Dec. 18, played professionally for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany the past two years. In theory, he will pair with Matas Buzelis to give the Bulls a long, athletic and versatile forward tandem.
Bulls general manager Marc Eversley gave this description of Essengue: “He's a skilled power forward. Excellent in transition, can play well above the rim. He has great hands and a good feel for the game.”
Eversley also offered a no-comment about coach Billy Donovan's rumored contract extension and added a state of the team report.
“We are in transition,” Eversley said. “We took a step back this season to reposition and retool. We believe we are setting ourselves up to make meaningful steps forward.”
On a Zoom call with reporters in Chicago, Essengue said he's met former Bulls center Joakim Noah, who grew up in France, and is familiar with the team's glory days of the 1990s.
“Everybody knows Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen,” he said. “That's like legendary.”
Essengue followed with a self-scouting report. He averaged 12.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in EuroCup play last season, and scored 20 points in an exhibition game against the Portland Trail Blazers last fall.
“I think I can do pretty much everything, all the skills like shooting, passing the ball and attacking the rim,” he said. “I think my biggest strength is finishing close to the basket. I think I need to be more consistent.”
He didn't attend the NBA draft combine in Chicago, but is listed at 6-feet-10 without shoes, with a 7-1 wingspan. He should run the floor extremely well, if the nba.com-listed three-quarter court sprint speed of 3.10 seconds is correct. Former Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich ran the same when he came out in 2003.
Nba.com does not list a vertical jump measurement for Essengue.
Ulm is still playing in the German league finals against Bayern Munich, with a decisive Game 5 set for Friday. Essengue decided to leave the team to attend the NBA draft in Brooklyn.
“We talked about it with my coaching staff, if I go to the Green Room, I'm going to be leaving,” Essengue said. “(The coach) said, 'Yes, go to see your dream.' The day I was (invited) to the Green Room, coach said just go there and live your dream.”
In the semifinal round of the playoffs, Essengue produced a career-high 22 points and 14 rebounds, while hitting a pair of 3-pointers. He said he spoke to Bulls management via video call a few times from Germany.
Some of the others still on the board at No. 12 were Maryland center Derik Queen, Illinois forward Kasparas Jakucionis and Georgetown center Thomas Sorber. Queen went with the next pick to Atlanta. Jakucionis lasted until No. 20, where he was selected by Miami. Fellow Illini freshman Will Riley went No. 21 to Washington.
Heading into draft day, there was some buzz about the Bulls taking South Carolina forward Collin Murray-Boyles, and he was the betting favorite at No. 12. But he went ninth to Toronto, followed by Duke center Khaman Maluach at 10 to Phoenix and Washington State's Cedric Coward to Memphis at No. 11.
The first four picks went generally as expected. Flagg went first to Dallas, of course; followed by Rutgers guard Dylan Harper to San Antonio, Baylor guard V.J. Edgecombe to Philadelphia and Duke's Kon Knueppel to Charlotte.
The first surprise was Utah taking Rutgers forward Ace Bailey with the No. 5 pick. Bailey refused individual workouts with teams and may have been trying to control his destination, but most thought that would be Washington at No. 6. Texas guard Tre Johnson landed with the Wizards, and time will tell if the Jazz tries to add assets by trading Bailey.
Joliet native Jeremiah Fears went No. 7 to New Orleans, followed by BYU's Egor Demin to Brooklyn.
The Bulls have the No. 45 pick in the second round, which will be held Thursday.