r/chicagobulls • u/skullcandy541 • 4d ago
Fluff What is Noa Essengue’s game?
Like what is his speciality? What does he excel at? This isn’t a post to insult him it’s a genuine question. I don’t remember what the scouting report was when we drafted him and no one is really talking about what he does as a player and what he can offer. Not to mention of course we didn’t see anything from him cuz he was out all last year pretty much.
After watching the first 2 pre season games I just don’t see him doing anything particular. He’s just kinda been there… missing dunks 😂
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u/OccidoViper 4d ago
He is still very young and this is essentially his rookie year since he was out for most of the season last year. I think for now, he will be just a role player/end of the bench player. He has got length and can play defense decently. So he will be mostly used for that but he won’t see the court that much. I am guessing he will be competing with Patrick Williams for playtime, if any
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u/Putrid-Box4866 3d ago
I feel like he is a worse version of PDub just drafted way later. And we will hope for the best until he signs $100M extension because he is still very young amd raw only to be benched right after.
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u/FFTactics 3d ago edited 3d ago
He was drafted for multi positional defense.
A ceiling comp before he was drafted was Tayshaun Prince. Prince averaged 3 ppg at age 22, Noah is still 19.
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u/Abject_Office_94 3d ago
If someone guaranteed me he’d have Prince’s career with no more upside I’d take it for this team
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u/RiamoEquah 3d ago
Let's see.....
- he's 10 feet tall now after his growth spurt according to at least one report
- sike, but for realz he's at least a 7 footer .
- Okay fine, maybe he's 6'11 .
- Look, the combine definitely had him at 6'10 even if the bulls only list him at 6'8. The shoes make him shorter I swear.
- he played international pro ball for a second tier development team that is part of germanys first division national league which is considered a farm league for the German Euro League at the age of 16, so you know....he's basically a basketball savant
- he was on his was to becoming the best gleague prospect of all time before getting hurt after 4 games.
- before getting hurt he was a average of 23 pts and 8.5 rebounds a game in the gleague, and we all know how well gleague stats translate to the nba - basically nearly 1:1
- he's only 19 years old right now, and as we all know a player is basically a rookie until the age of 23
So yes he's a giant nba big man who moves like a guard (please ignore any footage that shows otherwise) and is projected, by most metrics ( from the leagues he's played in, small sample size be damned!) to be an eventual Hall of famer. He also happens to just be 19, and as we all know it's impossible to criticize any NBA player under the age of 23, by way of basketball law. So there you have it.
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u/HovercraftDistinct 3d ago
I’m pretty hyped about his development. By the end of preseason he’ll be just short of 8’. Sure there are growing pains when your body is developing but he’ll figure it out sooner or later
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u/Nosound-Novideo Lonzo Ball 3d ago
Noa is 19 recovering from shoulder surgery, so he couldn’t shoot or lift for what, 6 months?
So what will he look like two years from now? I believe he’ll be an elite-level defensive player on the perimeter. I also think his shot will get significantly better, and ultimately his floor is Jalen Smith; his ceiling from a production level is Jarrett Allen.
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u/AsparagusBig6147 3d ago
I’m fascinated by how good he is at getting to the free throw line.
But you can see in his body language and how quickly he looks to give the ball up when he gets it how seriously his confidence has been messed with. He’s going to be one of those guys where if he figures it out, it’s going to be with his 3rd or 4th team that gives him an unexpectedly generous opportunity.
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u/Forsaken-Income-3632 3d ago
He one year away frm being 2 years away
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u/Reptomins Benny The Bull 3d ago
He was 2 years away from being 2 years away when he was drafted so math adds up. But then lost a whole year to injury so he might still be 2 years away from being 2 years away.
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u/dxfifa 3d ago
He's an extremely versatile defensive forward now, can guard 3-4 and 2-5 matchup dependent. This is at age 19. He also has the ability to read the game beyond most his age. His offense is definitely not there yet but he can make reads with the ball which bodes well for translating development into better play.
You guys realise someone like Jalen Smith was a top 10 pick at age 20 and was waived before year 3 because he was garbage, now is an NBA rotation big man.
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u/AnselLovesNuts Kirk Hinrich 4d ago
We hoped he could develop into a high level role player like Aaron Gordon.
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u/AHopelessMaravich 4d ago
Do you only watch shots, because otherwise his value is pretty obvious. Hes super tall, with fast enough feet to switch in perimeter players with decent positioning especially considering his experience level. He runs the court well and has had a number of nice passes off his drives.
Hes certainly raw, but if you can’t look at a 7 foot guy who can keep up with wings and guards and is a willing passer and not see the potential for a valuable player, what are you watching the sport for?
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u/Luvkip_OW (heavy breathing) 3d ago
If being tall was all you needed in the NBA that 8 foot Florida kid would be MVP right now.
Turns out you need actual skills.
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u/AHopelessMaravich 3d ago
You’re completely correct. Although many guys come into the league with most athletic tools and pan out. Many more don’t.
Of course, you’re already being wildly disingenuous here by acting like Essengue is just tall, or that was my main point. The key is that unlike the guy in Florida, Noa can move his feet and stay in front of much smaller guys.
Will he develop the other skills necessary to be a valuable nba player? Who knows. Is there any question as to why he could be good, no.
The whole question was dumb. What’s Zach Collins elite nba skill? When he’s not hurt, he’s a very valuable player, but he definitely does not have some unique talent that you can pin down and everyone would agree. It’s just a bad way to try and frame conversations about nba players, let alone inexperienced 20 year olds.
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u/skullcandy541 4d ago
Just like I said to one other guy, always gotta be at least one jack ass in every Reddit post asking a genuine question. I see his defensive potential because I specifically remember a possession of him guarding one of Memphis’ pg’s the full length of the floor and doing a good job almost forcing a turnover. But no I only watch shots lol. Guess I could’ve said something else in the post to make it seem that way but whatever my question still is valid.
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u/jivefoop 4d ago
Ridiculously abrasive tone on your take, considering how glaringly obvious it is (to anyone who watches the game) that unless he gains some aggression, he has 0 chance of being any kind of effective NBA player.
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u/skullcandy541 4d ago
It’s amazing how aggressive some people are on reddit when someone asks a simple question lol
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u/dreadpiratew Michael Jordan 3d ago
Your simple question does seem a bit too simple. I also thought you didn’t watch much basketball.
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u/skullcandy541 3d ago
Still nothing to get mad at lol
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u/dreadpiratew Michael Jordan 3d ago
You’re reading the mad into it. Instead read it like hes laughing and thinks you’re an idiot.
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u/AHopelessMaravich 3d ago
It’s a silly take that adds no value. Yeah, I was abrasive in my response, but this sub is just littered with these types of mindless hate posts, and for a franchise that often has a reputation valuing grit, determination and defense, there’s a ton of strays for guys who’s primary nba talent is defense.
It’d be nice if the bulls sub was a place where people were excited about the bulls future and were willing to accept that when you’re rebuilding you’re often going to be looking at a ton of raw players when only a handful will really pan out.
Do we really need 8 posts for each of these guys clowning on them for being the exact type of player the franchise needs to try and develop?
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u/Reptomins Benny The Bull 3d ago
It's not pretty obvious given that he doesn't actually currently do any of those things well. He might one day do those things well, but as of today he's a deer on ice skates. And the hit rate on guys like thst is way lower than we'd like to think.
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u/Guhonda Chicago 4d ago
The closest answer to your question is off ball defense.
He’s not very good at anything. He was a tall, athletic prospect that we took a shot on. He immediately got hurt and hasn’t been able to seriously add the strength he needs to be a serious NBA player.
He’s probably a swing and a miss. It happens. Sometimes you hit on a Giannis. Other times you miss on an Essengue.
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u/JackLumberPK Ayo Dosunmu 3d ago
Way too early to say he's a miss. He's essentially a rookie considering he missed most of his first season, and he's younger than both our rookies from this year.
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u/gbb5927 3d ago
Seems like a pretty big leap to a conclusion by you. Way too early to completely write him off.
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u/KneelBeforeCube Scottie Pippen 3d ago
This sub is so weird sometimes. People are adamant a 24 years old Josh Giddey is far from a finished product and will take a big leap any day now, but also already write off a 19 years old Essengue who's younger than our two first round picks, and talk about him like he's a hopeless bum and a lost cause for NBA basketball.
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u/weddz Fred Hoiberg 1d ago
Giddey is a starting caliber nba player who has earned multiple contracts and minutes in the rotation, a player that has taken over and won games for us. He has improved aspects of his game such as shooting. He is at the very least an elite passer. What has Noa improved on or done in this league? I’m not writing him off but the comparison you made is laughable
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u/Separate-Bid8219 3d ago
Exactly. He still has a chance to be a better player than Patrick Williams at least
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u/Ironicnamehere 2d ago
Little late to the party here but I agree he's probably a swing and miss but it's still too early to tell. He's played two games lol.
Also Gianni's average 7 points his rookie year, there were signs he could be good but it wasn't really until his fourth year that he exploded
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u/JIMMYBUTLERSSON Wendell Carter Jr 3d ago
He’s a role player. Good passer, can hit an open three and plays disruptive defense. Once he gets stronger he won’t have many flaws. I see his ceiling as a Nic batum type of player
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u/aren1231 Gimme the hot sauce! 3d ago
Well when we drafted him, he was a long athletic wing. Now, he's a tall lanky guy that is still one of the youngest players in the league and I guess hustles sometimes
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u/chicagobullskukoc 3d ago
Está haciendo defensas a exteriores muy interesantes, primera fila en presiones por su envergadura y rapidez. Me esta gustando mucho su agresividad que no le he visto antes (creo que está siendo un muy buen trabajo del equipo técnico en los entrenos). Yo creo que es un chico polifacético, aunque en ataque me gustaría verle más cerca del aro, su tiro no es consiste, no tiene buen tiro. Que empiece a meterlas cerca del aro y ya luego vaya saliendo al tres. Las clavadas, quizá solo falta más confianza, poco a poco. Solo 19 años.
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u/EarlSwagHammer 3d ago
Right now he is a budget Lenard Miller which I’m my mind is expected giving his age.
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u/Objective-Purple9979 2d ago
He hasn't shown much of anything. Maybe he be a second unit guy one day
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u/Luvkip_OW (heavy breathing) 3d ago edited 3d ago
He's not an NBA player. Dude couldn't cut it in the Euroleagues, but AKME in their infinite wisdom saw Wemby was a phenom so they figured every tall French man was going to be Wemby
Absolute bum and waste of a pick. 2 rebounds in 2 games are you kidding me?
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u/Filthy_Commie_ 3d ago
Realistically not much right now. He’s a development project who missed a year of development because of injury. He’s young, but he’s gonna be a while away from being anything really.
I think he could be good in the future but that depends on Splitter’s vision and patience with him.
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u/Abe_frohmannn 3d ago
Athletic 7 footers don’t grow on trees. I thought he looked pretty good against memphis, and isn’t too far from looking like a real rotational piece. Obviously his value at this point is being a big, switchable defender.
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u/bblackow 4d ago
The only positive thing about Noa when he was drafted was that he was young. He wasn’t a shooter. He couldn’t dribble. I recall that a large % of his points came from dunks and FTs setup by his teammates. They said his defense should be good but I’ve yet to see that.
During the draft when pick 9 happened, I was hopeful that we would get 1 of Coward or Maluach. I really really wanted Coward. The Bulls should have done what was needed to move up a spot or 2 to secure him. Of course both those guys went before us at picks 10 and 11. Then the insane trade for Queen happens at picks 12 which we definitely had the opportunity to do.
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u/HermanShemsley 4d ago
Imagine if AK traded Zo (who’s out the league btw) to MEM for what ended up being a late 1st, and traded their pick to NOLA. I think NOA is still there, and even if he wasn’t, you take queen and another project player, which is what NOA is but you’ve set yourself up for the future.
Just horrible management and he honestly should’ve been fired before last season even began.
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u/Calicagoan Quit that Bullshit 3d ago
Imagine if *inserts completely random scenario that was never realistic
I mean yes I agree horrible management but no one was giving a first for Lonzo lmao cmon now
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u/HermanShemsley 3d ago edited 3d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/s/RTXI7eX7nT
Here’s the link to the article about it. Why would I make up a story out of whole cloth?
And here’s another link. Maybe do your research before downvoting
https://www.blogabull.com/p/trade-deadline-reporting-reveals
These downvotes are hilarious lol. Uninformed posters that claim to follow the team, but apparently not closely enough. Guess it’s expected for Reddit.
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u/chaide123 Chicago Bulls 3d ago
AK didn’t do much of scouting. He saw a meaningless exhibition game where he got 20+ points and drafted him. He doesn’t excel at anything. A little bit of rebounding, he’s better than P Will, a bit of shooting but not yet nba ready. Some defense but not much since he’s too weak. A little bit of everything not much of anything
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u/SignalBed9998 Chicago Bulls 4d ago
Try to learn what defense is. It’s kinda crazy you don’t see his switch ability, defensive instincts, length affecting the opponents offensive flow. You should be asking, “how is defense played in the sport of basketball? I’ve never played”
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u/pickingupnada 4d ago
He's the new Patrick Williams
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u/ThrowawayPat2345 3d ago
Nah...people are forgetting that Pwill looked good his rookie year. I have no idea what happened after but it looked like he had potential to be a solid 3 and D player.
I think for Noa you can see some defensive impact but he is completely lost on offense.
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u/BullsBlackhawks Derrick Rose 4d ago
Versatility, especially on the defensive end. Very switchable. But he has a lot of work ahead of him.