The Chicago Bulls made a swing in the NBA draft on Wednesday evening by selecting the French teenager Noa Esssegue with the choice n ° 12.
A 6 -foot 10 -inch striker offering a wingspan of 7-1, the 18 -year -old Essenue was the second biggest hope of this draft class – and one of the last arrivals. He was playing ULM in the Bundesliga basketball playoff series, a higher league in Germany, until Sunday, when he flew to the United States for a handful of private training sessions before the start of official draft activities on Tuesday.
Esssengue offers many advantages, including a versatile physical profile and a capacity to play a variety of positions. But his game also brings a lot of wrinkles so that the Bulls reproduce. That the Essenue can become its stature, develop a reliable blow and learn to play by contact will define the overall success of this long -term choice.
The shot jumps on the profile of the Essenue project – and not as a positive. He only pulled 28.9% behind the 3 -point arc last season for ULM. But Essenue excels in the open ground, where he is a wise rim rider who prides himself on ending effective at speed and around the basket.
“I think I can do almost everything – shoot, pass the ball, attack the rim – but my greatest strength right now is the short -term game,” said Essengue.
Another notable asset. It can theoretically slide between the three and five to meet different needs in a variety of queues, although its most natural adjustment is probably in four – a position already claimed by 2024 Pick of Première Ronde Matas Buzelis.
But Esssengue said that he was not difficult in the place where he plays in Chicago.
“If I play, I feel good,” he said.
Essengue – which is three more days more than N ° 1 Pick Cooper FlaggThe youngest player in the draft class – is too young to be familiar with the dominant days of the Bulls. He was 4 years old the last time they reached the final of the Eastern Conference and 8 the last time they succeeded in the first round.
But that did not decrease the impression of the teenager of the inheritance of the franchise in the league.
“It’s just incredible,” said Essenue. “I may not know the Bulls Miracle Chicago, but everyone loved the story of Michael Jordan. It’s a legendary franchise with many championships, many rings. It’s a big background.”
It was only the first step in an occupied offseason for the Bulls, which were eliminated from the game tournament For the third consecutive year after a season of 39-43. The previous season reported an acceptance of the front office according to which a change is necessary, resulting in the departures of the old ones outside the DeMar derozan, Zach Lavine and Alex Caruso.
Despite its notable scope, Esssengue does not offer the same tangibles as the other big ones in this project – and he does not give the Bulls a clear succession plan for the veteran center Nikola Vučević, who said clearly While he enters the last year of his contract, he does not wish to spend the end of his career mired in a reconstruction.
Bulls have actively have purchased Vučević for over a year but I chose not to exchange it on the deadline of February. With Essenue now in place, the Bulls will focus on moving Vuečević – while continuing a new agreement with The limited free agent Josh Giddey And potential plans for Patrick Williams, Lonzo Ball and other active ingredients.
Esssengue will arrive in Chicago next week to start preparing the NBA Summer League on July 10 to 20 in Las Vegas.
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