Chicago Bulls select Noa Essengue - #12 overall

[CROBulls]

All we heard about this guy is being unique athlete with good measurement and if this doesnt stand out in his basketball play, you can immediatly know if you have a NBA player on your hand or just another dead waste of body on roster.

No need to waste 3-4 years.

That's a pretty extreme of course, but I do agree very much that the size/athleticism eye test is going to be pretty important. Strength, not so much. Because I expect him to get knocked around. Happened with Matas too. These guys need time in the weight room. But its going to be important that his size/speed/quickness/vertical combination pop more than a little bit.

This guy played in Europe against grown man, right? SL should not be issue too much. He should actually be more strenght wise ready than Matas given German league>G-league. But more I am interested in his athleticism overall. In Europe his athletcisim works, because he is unique. But I do wonder if it works against players comparable to him who are same if not better athletes than him. And likely better basketball players.

[GoBlue72391]

All we heard about this guy is being unique athlete with good measurement and if this doesnt stand out in his basketball play, you can immediatly know if you have a NBA player on your hand or just another dead waste of body on roster.

No need to waste 3-4 years.

That's a pretty extreme of course, but I do agree very much that the size/athleticism eye test is going to be pretty important. Strength, not so much. Because I expect him to get knocked around. Happened with Matas too. These guys need time in the weight room. But its going to be important that his size/speed/quickness/vertical combination pop more than a little bit.

This guy played in Europe against grown man, right? SL should not be issue too much. He should actually be more strenght wise ready than Matas given German league>G-league. But more I am interested in his athleticism overall. In Europe his athletcisim works, because he is unique. But I do wonder if it works against players comparable to him who are same if not better athletes than him. And likely better basketball players.

He's like 204 at 6'11". That's frail as hell, regardless of what league he came from.

He's definitely gonna need a couple years in the weight room, but we all knew that going in.

[fleet]

It hard to gain quality insights by highlights, however Noa V Matas…an extra year of physical development is big in a young kid’s life, so Matas benefited, but Matas appeared more powerful. Noa looks like he doesn’t quite own his own space. I don’t know about that German league either. Is is physical? It didn’t look like Noa got bodied a lot in some of the highlights. Even while he is making plays he looks as though he is sometimes adjusting his body position to compensate for struggling to hold his own space. If Noa got to Matas level of power by fall 2026 that’s pretty good. But he could also just be Tayshaun Prince as an athlete for his career. That’s an extreme outcome though.

[Ice Man]

Skinny is not a problem. Giannis was skinny as a teen, Matas was skinny last year, whatever. And we know that shooting for Noa is a work in process. The issue is whether he has the requisite quicks, agility, handle, insight and BBIQ to make the Bulls' investment in him worth the effort. It seems that he does -- but of course, a couple of NBA years will clarify whether that is so.

[ghostinthepost1]

He needs to eat nothing but Portillos for the next 6 months.

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[Indomitable]

All we heard about this guy is being unique athlete with good measurement and if this doesnt stand out in his basketball play, you can immediatly know if you have a NBA player on your hand or just another dead waste of body on roster.

No need to waste 3-4 years.

That's a pretty extreme of course, but I do agree very much that the size/athleticism eye test is going to be pretty important. Strength, not so much. Because I expect him to get knocked around. Happened with Matas too. These guys need time in the weight room. But its going to be important that his size/speed/quickness/vertical combination pop more than a little bit.

This guy played in Europe against grown man, right? SL should not be issue too much. He should actually be more strenght wise ready than Matas given German league>G-league. But more I am interested in his athleticism overall. In Europe his athletcisim works, because he is unique. But I do wonder if it works against players comparable to him who are same if not better athletes than him. And likely better basketball players.

Both him and Matais played with grown men.

If you are trying to say he played with more professionals. This is true.

[MrSparkle]

I suggest people watch a full game on YouTube. You’ll notice he looks very competent OFF the ball for an 18yo, regardless of the German league’s level. The weight is overblown imo. Will a Draymond or Giannis destroy him? Sure. Does that mean he can’t play NBA minutes? No.

ON the ball, he looks OK. The shot is as unreliable as the critics say. Some misses are bad. Barre occasional bad takes, his form and attempts look fine. I really like potential as a slashing layup/dunk finisher, ala Marion (minus Matrix’s rapid explosiveness). As far as coordination goes… He makes good passes and isn’t clumsy. Impossible to predict at this point.

Giannis comps need to die. There will never be another Giannis. He’s special. Just like Jordan, Lebron, Durant, Shaq, Wemby, Curry, Jokic - special superstars have unique traits. Rookie Giannis had slick handles. I don’t see that in Noa nor Matas. There is no way these guys could play full time PG (which Kidd famously did with GA). On that note, Kidd’s a wackjob but I don’t find his “force the PG role” approach to be so crazy (which he mentioned/plans with Flagg). I think it helped Giannis’ development.

[kodo]

Giannis is always a terrible comp no matter the rookie because the 6' 8" Giannis who was a raw prospect in Greece is nothing like the 6' 11" Giannis now, his playstyle completely changed as well from a point-forward wing to a true PF-C. Giannis' own comps were Nic Batum, a SF. Just a bizarre late growth spurt that I don't think I've ever seen happen in the league before or after.

On KOC's show they comp'd Noa to Tayshaun Prince, although Noa is considerably taller. Prince maxed out at 14 ppg offensively but was an elite defender and a multi-positional defender before that was even a thing.

[Red Larrivee]

Giannis is always a terrible comp no matter the rookie because the 6' 8" Giannis who was a raw prospect in Greece is nothing like the 6' 11" Giannis now, his playstyle completely changed as well from a point-forward wing to a true PF-C. Giannis' own comps were Nic Batum, a SF. Just a bizarre late growth spurt that I don't think I've ever seen happen in the league before or after.

On KOC's show they comp'd Noa to Tayshaun Prince, although Noa is considerably taller. Prince maxed out at 14 ppg offensively but was an elite defender and a multi-positional defender before that was even a thing.

I like the peak Prince and Josh Smith comps as high-end outcomes. They at least seem grounded and attainable. Even though neither made all-star teams, I think both were all-star caliber at their peak despite not being go-to scorers.

Giannis is much, much....much more than a high-end outcome.

[Mbrahv0528]

People really high on Noa don't see him as a leading scorer type, a lot of cuts, P&R, occasional hitting those wide open jumpers, drawing FTs.
In the half-court, even as a PF I think he'll be that hub passer that we know AK loves:


Jo was a godawful shooter but plays like this is how we were able to keep him on the floor without playing 4 on 5 on offense.

But still he's probably years away. He's a year and a half younger than VJ who is a freshman. Bulls effectively drafted a high schooler, one that put up 20 points on the Blazers in preseason but still he's younger your normal 1st year pick.

That is elite vision from someone so young . The sky is the limit with this kid!

Sent from my SM-S938U using RealGM mobile app

[Senor Chang]

One thing people are glossing over with the giannis comps just as they did with the pwill/ kawhi comps is wingspan. Kawhi and giannis have 7’3” wingspans. These are significant in why they’re able to do a lot of what they do. While 6’11” and 7’0” wingspan is good it’s not freakish and kawhi/giannis have freakish wingspans. So let’s compare noa with guys who have wingspans on the same planet.

Also worth noting that if masai had any say in the draft this year for Toronto he decided to pass on essengue. Maybe it means he doesn’t believe his length is freakish enough to overcome some of his deficiencies.

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[DASMACKDOWN]

One thing people are glossing over with the giannis comps just as they did with the pwill/ kawhi comps is wingspan. Kawhi and giannis have 7’3” wingspans. These are significant in why they’re able to do a lot of what they do. While 6’11” and 7’0” wingspan is good it’s not freakish and kawhi/giannis have freakish wingspans. So let’s compare noa with guys who have wingspans on the same planet.

Also worth noting that if masai had any say in the draft this year for Toronto he decided to pass on essengue. Maybe it means he doesn’t believe his length is freakish enough to overcome some of his deficiencies.

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I think a lot are thinking he hasn't stopped growing yet.

Even still, 6'11 with a 7'1 wingspan and a 9'3 standing reach is still very very good.

But at the end of the day, they are all just tools. It doesn't mean anything unless you have game with those tools.

[sco]

One thing people are glossing over with the giannis comps just as they did with the pwill/ kawhi comps is wingspan. Kawhi and giannis have 7’3” wingspans. These are significant in why they’re able to do a lot of what they do. While 6’11” and 7’0” wingspan is good it’s not freakish and kawhi/giannis have freakish wingspans. So let’s compare noa with guys who have wingspans on the same planet.

Also worth noting that if masai had any say in the draft this year for Toronto he decided to pass on essengue. Maybe it means he doesn’t believe his length is freakish enough to overcome some of his deficiencies.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think a lot are thinking he hasn't stopped growing yet.

Even still, 6'11 with a 7'1 wingspan and a 9'3 standing reach is still very very good.

But at the end of the day, they are all just tools. It doesn't mean anything unless you have game with those tools.

Well said. The thing about drafting raw young kids is that sometimes they realize their potential (Giannis), but more often they don't (Pat). At the end of the day it comes down to work ethic and the quality of your development program.

I will add that I think that the quality of vet leadership makes a difference too. I think guys like Deng, Butler, Taj and Demar provided excellent role models for young guys on our team over the years. One reason I don't want to lose Coby is that he may be the only guy left on the team who is in that mold.

[_txchilibowl_]

One thing people are glossing over with the giannis comps just as they did with the pwill/ kawhi comps is wingspan. Kawhi and giannis have 7’3” wingspans. These are significant in why they’re able to do a lot of what they do. While 6’11” and 7’0” wingspan is good it’s not freakish and kawhi/giannis have freakish wingspans. So let’s compare noa with guys who have wingspans on the same planet.

Also worth noting that if masai had any say in the draft this year for Toronto he decided to pass on essengue. Maybe it means he doesn’t believe his length is freakish enough to overcome some of his deficiencies.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think a lot are thinking he hasn't stopped growing yet.

Even still, 6'11 with a 7'1 wingspan and a 9'3 standing reach is still very very good.

But at the end of the day, they are all just tools. It doesn't mean anything unless you have game with those tools.

Well said. The thing about drafting raw young kids is that sometimes they realize their potential (Giannis), but more often they don't (Pat). At the end of the day it comes down to work ethic and the quality of your development program.

I will add that I think that the quality of vet leadership makes a difference too. I think guys like Deng, Butler, Taj and Demar provided excellent role models for young guys on our team over the years. One reason I don't want to lose Coby is that he may be the only guy left on the team who is in that mold.

By all accounts Vuc is in that mold as well....(ducks head)

[bledredwine]

People really high on Noa don't see him as a leading scorer type, a lot of cuts, P&R, occasional hitting those wide open jumpers, drawing FTs.
In the half-court, even as a PF I think he'll be that hub passer that we know AK loves:


Jo was a godawful shooter but plays like this is how we were able to keep him on the floor without playing 4 on 5 on offense.

But still he's probably years away. He's a year and a half younger than VJ who is a freshman. Bulls effectively drafted a high schooler, one that put up 20 points on the Blazers in preseason but still he's younger your normal 1st year pick.

That is elite vision from someone so young . The sky is the limit with this kid!

Sent from my SM-S938U using RealGM mobile app

Guys stop getting me hyped! If he's a bust I'm going to be so pissed at you

[sco]

I think a lot are thinking he hasn't stopped growing yet.

Even still, 6'11 with a 7'1 wingspan and a 9'3 standing reach is still very very good.

But at the end of the day, they are all just tools. It doesn't mean anything unless you have game with those tools.

Well said. The thing about drafting raw young kids is that sometimes they realize their potential (Giannis), but more often they don't (Pat). At the end of the day it comes down to work ethic and the quality of your development program.

I will add that I think that the quality of vet leadership makes a difference too. I think guys like Deng, Butler, Taj and Demar provided excellent role models for young guys on our team over the years. One reason I don't want to lose Coby is that he may be the only guy left on the team who is in that mold.

By all accounts Vuc is in that mold as well....(ducks head)

Really? I have never seen vids of Vuc working with young guys in offseason or heard any of our guys say that Vuc played a big role in their development. Best I've heard is that he does work on HIS game in the offseason.

[MrSparkle]

I don’t put too much stock in teammate summer workouts. Young guys with ambition have consistently sought their own summer training, regardless of how good or bad their teammates were (Jimmy, Zach, Rose). Lauri went off to Finland and came back better than we he was bulking up with the Advocate Center crew. Sure helps to have star teammates, but you need to find your own path.

As I expected, Demar “waking Pat up at 5am” (personally found it cringey that Pat needed his past prime uncle to wake him up for summer training) didn’t do anything for Pat’s game.

That said, it does help for rookies to be on a great team with high standards. Lavine and Vuc weren’t quite Poole and Kuzma, but man… if the goal was to demonstrate the right way to play the game, that wasn’t it.

I’m sure he’s not a bad influence, but I also can’t imagine Vuc being anything other than a 20/10 statistic.

[ShouldaPaidBG]

One thing people are glossing over with the giannis comps just as they did with the pwill/ kawhi comps is wingspan. Kawhi and giannis have 7’3” wingspans. These are significant in why they’re able to do a lot of what they do. While 6’11” and 7’0” wingspan is good it’s not freakish and kawhi/giannis have freakish wingspans. So let’s compare noa with guys who have wingspans on the same planet.

Also worth noting that if masai had any say in the draft this year for Toronto he decided to pass on essengue. Maybe it means he doesn’t believe his length is freakish enough to overcome some of his deficiencies.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Google says Giannis has a 9'6 standing reach. This is his max reach back in the day

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12'2 which is 32 inches above his standing reach. Noa has a 35 in vert, which covers the 3 inch difference between him and Giannis' standing reach.

Noa is long and athletic and the specifics are trivial.

[ShouldaPaidBG]

I suggest people watch a full game on YouTube. You’ll notice he looks very competent OFF the ball for an 18yo, regardless of the German league’s level. The weight is overblown imo. Will a Draymond or Giannis destroy him? Sure. Does that mean he can’t play NBA minutes? No.

ON the ball, he looks OK. The shot is as unreliable as the critics say. Some misses are bad. Barre occasional bad takes, his form and attempts look fine. I really like potential as a slashing layup/dunk finisher, ala Marion (minus Matrix’s rapid explosiveness). As far as coordination goes… He makes good passes and isn’t clumsy. Impossible to predict at this point.

Giannis comps need to die. There will never be another Giannis. He’s special. Just like Jordan, Lebron, Durant, Shaq, Wemby, Curry, Jokic - special superstars have unique traits. Rookie Giannis had slick handles. I don’t see that in Noa nor Matas. There is no way these guys could play full time PG (which Kidd famously did with GA). On that note, Kidd’s a wackjob but I don’t find his “force the PG role” approach to be so crazy (which he mentioned/plans with Flagg). I think it helped Giannis’ development.

Marion is exactly who I want him to play like to start out. Marion's greater explosion is canceled out by Noa's superior size.

[KissedByaRose1]

Where does the bundesliga rank compared to NCAA and Euroleague in your guys opinions? Every time i want to get really excited about this guy it's tough not to notice a lot of the guys look like they're 5'11.