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Noa Essengue Summer League Check-In
Checking In on Noa Essengue's Bulls Summer League Entering Year 2
Luke KurtzweilTue, Jul 14, 2026·4 min readThe Chicago Bulls have now played half of their scheduled Summer League games. The team lost both of them, but it's a good time to gauge the temperature on individual players and how they are contributing to the summer roster. Caleb Wilson has obviously been stellar, but last year's first-round pick Noa Essengue has struggled through the first two games.
Noa Essengue's Stats
Vs. Memphis: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks and 2 steals
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementVs. Utah: 6 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals
Through two games, it's apparent that Noa Essengue is still not very confident in his offensive game. He simply has not been aggressive enough on that end of the floor, ultimately leading to him being benched to start the second half against the Jazz. He has totaled just nine shot attempts with only two of them coming from beyond the arc. While Caleb Wilson was always going to be the focal point of this year's Summer League squad, Essengue was poised for a much larger offensive role than the one he has taken on.
Last summer, Essengue stepped onto the floor in Las Vegas alongside Matas Buzelis. Buzelis had already established himself as the primary option, but Essengue still looked much more willing to attack than he has this week.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOne of the biggest concerns has been his reluctance to shoot from deep. The Bulls drafted Essengue knowing his jump shot was a work in progress, but Summer League is the perfect environment to test that part of his game. Instead, he has often passed up open looks or deferred to teammates rather than forcing defenses to respect him from the perimeter.
The other noticeable issue has been his handle. Whenever Essengue has tried to attack off the dribble, opposing guards have consistently poked the ball loose before he could get into the paint. Even against smaller defenders, he has struggled to protect the basketball through contact, allowing defenders to disrupt drives before they ever become scoring opportunities.
Physically, Essengue possesses great size and length, but his frame is still developing. There were several possessions where smaller guards were simply stronger with the ball, knocking him off his line or stripping him clean. As he continues to add strength after his injury, those situations should become less frequent, but they have been a clear weakness through two games.
If Essengue wants to earn consistent rotational minutes for Chicago this season, improving his ball handling and becoming a more confident perimeter shooter will be essential. Right now, opposing defenses aren't being punished for giving him space.
While the offensive game has left plenty to be desired, Essengue has once again shown exactly why the Bulls remain so high on his long-term potential.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHis defensive instincts have been outstanding.
Through two games, Essengue has totaled six blocks and four steals while consistently disrupting passing lanes and rotating to protect the rim. Even when he isn't recording a statistic, he has been getting his hands on passes, forcing ball handlers to think twice about driving into the paint and making life difficult for opposing offenses.
For a 19-year-old, his feel on the defensive end is remarkably advanced. He rarely looks out of position and has consistently made the correct read as a weak-side helper. His combination of length, timing and anticipation allows him to make plays that simply don't show up every possession in the box score.
When paired alongside Caleb Wilson, the Bulls suddenly have two young forwards capable of creating chaos defensively. Wilson has generated plenty of headlines with his scoring explosion, but the duo's defensive upside may ultimately be even more exciting. Both players possess the versatility to switch across multiple positions, generate turnovers and erase mistakes at the rim.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt's easy to envision them becoming one of Chicago's most disruptive defensive pairings in the coming years.
There shouldn't be any panic surrounding Noa Essengue after two Summer League games. The offensive limitations that have surfaced aren't necessarily new concerns, and they're exactly the areas the Bulls knew would require development when they drafted him.
At the same time, his defensive production has been every bit as encouraging as advertised. He's proving that he already has an NBA-caliber impact on that end of the floor.
The offense still has a long way to go, but if Essengue can tighten his handle, become more comfortable attacking off the dribble and develop into a willing three-point shooter, his defensive foundation gives him a very real path toward becoming a valuable rotation player in Chicago. Right now, the flashes are there. The next step is turning those flashes into a complete game.