Chicago Bulls select Noa Essengue - #12 overall

[fleet]

He was bad. He's going to be bad a lot. And not just in summer league. He's 18 and sushi raw.

I've been posting here for decades. Posters come and go and ages and experience vary so I'm not trying to cover everyone with the same blanket. But every year is the same thing when it comes to SL and I don't get it. I know it sounds condescending, but it gives me the sense that some people just don't have much experience with summer league, what it means, and how to scout it depending on what type of player you drafted.

Here's the two most important things Noa did all game, in how I go about evaluating SL:

(1) The double block/interference on his left side of the paint and then the right, which showed his quick reaction speed and second jump ability. Noa has a strong vertical for a player his height, but in my view raw vertical means less than a player's ability to leap quickly a second time. I consider it a superior defensive predictor than raw vert because of the quickness component.

(2) On one completely non-descript play that no one is going to remember, he was defending in the corner in a set half court defense and had to react and cover ground to the top of the key and did it in the blink of an eye.

All the raw, unrefined stuff can and will improve. To what degree? Don't know. But it will. But those two things ^^^ can't be taught. They matter infinitely more to evaluating summer league play with projects like Noa than does turning it over while trying to do a dribble move against a set defense. That's the type of thing you start worrying about after 2 years.

Now, if you drafted someone like Derrick Queen or Thomas Sorber who, though young, were desirable players in part because of their more well-rounded skill level and ability to make an impact quickly, and they go to summer league and fall all over themselves and show they can't get their already polished stuff off against SL scrubs, then you've got something to worry about. And even then you shouldn't worry too much. These are kids. And in the case of a guy like Essengue, not kids who have specialized in basketball since they were 10 and have been receiving high level skill training for a decade.

I think part of the problem is that a lot of people were expecting too much from him too soon. I saw several people debating the notion that he's a low-floor player, arguing he's actually a high-floor player. He's not, and that's ok.

It's been acknowledged that he's raw, but I don't think a lot of people were aware or prepared for just how raw he truly is. He might be the rawest Bull I've ever seen. I think SL will be a wake-up call for people who were maybe expecting Matas or Pat levels of raw.

Bring the baseline level of expectations down a few notches.

The kid is cool. I don’t want to say Pat Williams cool, but that is what fans are fresh off of. If we saw him coming out yesterday with Matas’ energy, with a Shawn Marion energy that would have been encouraging. Hopefully he can grow into some dog mentality.

[DuckIII]

By the way, the annual “summer league is meaningless” cries are usually efforts excusing failure. Not for that kind of weakness. Have honest reactions imo. Do your best scouting as a fan. It’s healthy.

I could not disagree with that more. Summer league really is almost entirely meaningless except for identifying player traits.

"Summer league is meaningless" cries are there to remind panicky, illogical, emotional fans with no sense of history that it is in fact meaningless, which can easily be verified through hundreds and perhaps thousands of examples. Not for that kind of foolishness. Have objective reactions. Use full context when scouting as a fan. It’s sane.

Identifying player traits and potential transferability is a key idea in using summer league as a predictor. Therefore not meaningless relative to any other prior evaluation. Nobody calls college scouting “meaningless”. Euro scouting “ meaningless” It’s all meaningful in some respects with regard to predicting transferability of skills. The problem is that prospects are often moving targets with respect to their ultimate development profile in the NBA. There’s no reason to call any player exposure venue other than NBA “meaningless”. That’s extreme and unnecessary.

Its only necessary due to the panicky, emotional significance fans attach to it every single year like clockwork. Its a response to a response, not something people charge into the discussion with as their primary contention.

You can't equate SL to college and international leagues because the goals the players and coaches approach the game to achieve are not at all the same. We deliberately had Matas play PG and bring it up solo against pressure. Nothing about that was smart or good for the game being played. Most certainly when Noah was coughing up his dribble drives against a set defense, its because it was literally part of the game plan despite his raw handles. These things are experiments for the players who matter. And don't forget the players who "don't matter." They don't play with ordinary motives either. They are trying to make rosters and build tape, not win games.

I'll stop saying summer league is meaningless when fans stop treating it as meaningful. But I do agree with you that it is not literally meaningless. It does have meaning. Its just that the meaning is far more limited than much fan reaction suggests.

[fleet]

I’m not low on him, cause he’s got the specs to pan out, but you know a special player when he hits the floor…

That is very frequently not at all true.

I disagree. With any superstar you could tell almost right away what they could potentially become, even if they were playing poorly. Maybe a few guys are an exception to that. It's very rare that a special player comes out of nowhere and surprises you. Not unheard of, but exceptionally uncommon.

Rose, Wemby, etc. stunk up SL, but you could still see what made them elite from day 1.

I am glad you brought Rose up. Fans were so disappointed by Rose in summer league settlings. I wasn’t. I was very encouraged. Rose’ performance in summer league wasn’t meaningless whatsoever. As usual, the quality of the meaning and viewpoint you are talking is the key. Not that I am any kind of expert.

[MrSparkle]

That is very frequently not at all true.

Name one exception?

Its not much of a struggle to find one single exception to an overstated rule that you "immediately know a special player when he hits the floor."

I've got an easy one for you. Go look at the comments on this very board, let alone the larger community of fans, idiotically mocking Wemby as overrated because he had a lousy SL debut. He was, literally, falling all over the floor. And he's the single greatest basketball prospect in the history of mankind.

How about Jokic? When did you start writing posts begging the Bulls to buy low on this obvious future superstar?

Even Jimmy, Haliburton, Shai popped out in summer league, despite needing ~3Y to break out in the NBA.

The NBA did not have summer league Butler's rookie year, and he certainly didn't scream franchise player as a rookie. As for Hali and SGA and really I'd probably give you almost any lottery PG or SG, I would tend to expect them to have a far more immediate impact. You can't get drafted to play those positions unless you already have refined skills.

NBA teams don't draft "PG versions of Essengue" because those guys aren't NBA prospects. You are far more likely to have big or large wing prospects show little early and develop late because NBA teams are far more likely to burn picks on development size and athleticism.

Now, can you tell Hali and SGA were "special" in SL? I don't remember, but I doubt it. If so, they wouldn't have both been traded in the early stages of their careers like they were only to become "special" years later.

Your premise just isn't true as a general proposition. It can certainly be true in specific cases, but its not a general rule.

Lol- I watched Wemby’s debut. Everyone ragging on it was full of it. He missed most his contested 3PAs and hit foul trouble, but had like 5 blocks in 20 minutes and did make some buckets, and was creating his own shots off the dribble.

And yeah- Hali and Shai showed game right off the bat. Hali actually didn’t get a SL due to covid, but Shai did. Remember that both guys were traded for legitimate prime all-stars/franchise players. I think the Clippers (and most the NBA) expected most those picks to be guaranteed late 1sts, and for them to be a dynasty for half the decade.

https://youtu.be/kEhIzOsdLw8?si=MWcuryjy1Kbi6Ij0
https://youtu.be/Eq3coRaW4vk?si=u8sYASJileOVVX81

Anyway, yes it was one game. But seeing him stripped every single time he faced up with the ball was a red flag, is all. I mean, it’s great and all if he can defend and catch passes from Giddey, but being a walking turnover is a bad starting point. Particularly since atleast 3 “triple-threat” types were drafted in the next 8 slots (no guarantee they’ll pan, but Kasparas, Queen and Yang have a much higher offensive floor).

I dunno, I’ve always been more willing to be patient with a Giddey, Rubio, Coby or Jimmy. Let them shoot bad shots and make risky passes, try to get the jitters out their game and find their best traits.

Expecting a guy who can’t cross-over a standing lamp to get better at that is a whole other story. Hoping Noa has a better day.

[GoBlue72391]

They won’t be saying that when he plays in real games. These hack fests that you can’t foul out in known as the SL aren’t real games.

He will be fine in regular season and G League. He’s not ready for playoff physicality though. That will take two years. Buz probably isn’t ready for that now. We aren’t close to getting there so it doesn’t matter.

Eh. He's going to be a net negative player this year even if he can provide some reliable defense. I just don't think he's going to play much this year. Between Collins, Matas, Smith, Okoro and Pat there will be plenty of guys available to play his minutes.

Do you think Essengue spends most of the year in the G League? It wouldn't surprise me and he does need reps, but I do wonder how good the g league is with player development (overall).

I don't know about the quality of development in the G League, especially with our organization (is Billy's son coaching the G League team too? If so, that's a horrid environment for young guys), but I'd have to imagine starting and playing 30+ MPG in the G League is better for his development than getting DNP-CD'd in the NBA and occasional gabrage time minutes.

The Bulls' G League affiliate is close enough that he could theoretically practice with the NBA team, therefore getting used to going against NBA-caliber players, then get sent down to play in G League games and get big minutes.

[DuckIII]

It's good that AK seems to have patience with the pick, but if the overall strategy isn't patience then what are they doing?

I think the drafting of Essengue itself is evidence that the Bulls have decided to not be terribly impatient. At least not this season. One can point to the trade for Okoro as evidence the Bulls are looking for immediate impact players, but there are alternative rationales that are equally applicable:

(a) They went for Okoro because they believe he's a buy-low guy with some real untapped upside; or

(b) They figure he's good low-cost, low-commitment way to push Pat in the hopes he can recover some value.

I look at what the Bulls did last summer through today, and I don't see a team gunning to maximize wins next year. I realize those of us who have been advocating a longer term rebuild for years have PTSD due to AK's repeat imbecility, but if you ignore the name of the GM and look at the moves they suggest a very young team looking to pause things a year and develop. Which is not the same as tanking, but a whole helluva lot better than what we have been doing.

I hope you're right, but I have my doubts. I look at the Okoro move as one where they wanted an immediate impact player (which you mention above) and wouldn't be surprised if they made more moves like that down the road.

If I'm wrong...great. I'd rather see the Bulls give the youngsters minutes, let them develop and don't worry about the play-in/playoffs. Get a high pick in 2026 and go from there.

AK has been here for 5 years and up until a year ago he's pushed for every win possible. Let's see if he really changed his strategy.

To be clear, it absolutely would not surprise me if AK were to do a "hurry up and win" move or two this summer. He has Coby and Ayo sitting there to couple with future picks to acquire an "impact player." That is prominent in the AK play book. No doubt. I'm just taking my analysis of the moves from last summer to this summer, and asking what it looks like. And it does not look to me like a team trying to win quickly. Nor does it look like a team trying to tank. It looks like a team hitting pause.

But that could change today. We've all been burned by AK's instincts and preferences.

[Dan Z]

Eh. He's going to be a net negative player this year even if he can provide some reliable defense. I just don't think he's going to play much this year. Between Collins, Matas, Smith, Okoro and Pat there will be plenty of guys available to play his minutes.

Do you think Essengue spends most of the year in the G League? It wouldn't surprise me and he does need reps, but I do wonder how good the g league is with player development (overall).

I don't know about the quality of development in the G League, especially with our organization (is Billy's son coaching the G League team too? If so, that's a horrid environment for young guys), but I'd have to imagine starting and playing 30+ MPG in the G League is better for his development than getting DNP-CD'd in the NBA and occasional gabrage time minutes.

The Bulls' G League affiliate is close enough that he could theoretically practice with the NBA team, therefore getting used to going against NBA-caliber players, then get sent down to play in G League games and get big minutes.

I agree with what I put in bold above, but I also think it's important to give Essengue some run at the NBA level at some point this season (and definitely not garbage minutes only).

A young player needs to play at the pro level and see what he can and can't do. The G League is good for reps, and there's a decent level of talent there, but it's not the same.

[GoBlue72391]

By the way, the annual “summer league is meaningless” cries are usually efforts excusing failure. Not for that kind of weakness. Have honest reactions imo. Do your best scouting as a fan. It’s healthy.

The statistical output is useless, but there are definitely things to be gleaned from watching SL. It only takes a couple of times seeing a player to know where he stands athletically/strength/IQ/instincts, etc.

I can tell from 1 SL game that Lachlan Olbirch is not an NBA talent. I could tell with Simonovic and Sanogo too. Could he serve as an emergency 3rd-string C for a couple years? Yeah sure, but that's it. Even that might be a stretch.

[DuckIII]

He was bad. He's going to be bad a lot. And not just in summer league. He's 18 and sushi raw.

I've been posting here for decades. Posters come and go and ages and experience vary so I'm not trying to cover everyone with the same blanket. But every year is the same thing when it comes to SL and I don't get it. I know it sounds condescending, but it gives me the sense that some people just don't have much experience with summer league, what it means, and how to scout it depending on what type of player you drafted.

Here's the two most important things Noa did all game, in how I go about evaluating SL:

(1) The double block/interference on his left side of the paint and then the right, which showed his quick reaction speed and second jump ability. Noa has a strong vertical for a player his height, but in my view raw vertical means less than a player's ability to leap quickly a second time. I consider it a superior defensive predictor than raw vert because of the quickness component.

(2) On one completely non-descript play that no one is going to remember, he was defending in the corner in a set half court defense and had to react and cover ground to the top of the key and did it in the blink of an eye.

All the raw, unrefined stuff can and will improve. To what degree? Don't know. But it will. But those two things ^^^ can't be taught. They matter infinitely more to evaluating summer league play with projects like Noa than does turning it over while trying to do a dribble move against a set defense. That's the type of thing you start worrying about after 2 years.

Now, if you drafted someone like Derrick Queen or Thomas Sorber who, though young, were desirable players in part because of their more well-rounded skill level and ability to make an impact quickly, and they go to summer league and fall all over themselves and show they can't get their already polished stuff off against SL scrubs, then you've got something to worry about. And even then you shouldn't worry too much. These are kids. And in the case of a guy like Essengue, not kids who have specialized in basketball since they were 10 and have been receiving high level skill training for a decade.

I think part of the problem is that a lot of people were expecting too much from him too soon. I saw several people debating the notion that he's a low-floor player, arguing he's actually a high-floor player. He's not, and that's ok.

It's been acknowledged that he's raw, but I don't think a lot of people were aware or prepared for just how raw he truly is. He might be the rawest Bull I've ever seen. I think SL will be a wake-up call for people who were maybe expecting Matas or Pat levels of raw.

Bring the baseline level of expectations down a few notches.

I think that's spot on. I think that dynamic, perhaps with a little bit of Beringer's debut sprinkled in, probably explains it.

[fleet]

Do you think Essengue spends most of the year in the G League? It wouldn't surprise me and he does need reps, but I do wonder how good the g league is with player development (overall).

I don't know about the quality of development in the G League, especially with our organization (is Billy's son coaching the G League team too? If so, that's a horrid environment for young guys), but I'd have to imagine starting and playing 30+ MPG in the G League is better for his development than getting DNP-CD'd in the NBA and occasional gabrage time minutes.

The Bulls' G League affiliate is close enough that he could theoretically practice with the NBA team, therefore getting used to going against NBA-caliber players, then get sent down to play in G League games and get big minutes.

I agree with what I put in bold above, but I also think it's important to give Essengue some run at the NBA level at some point this season (and definitely not garbage minutes only).

A young player needs to play at the pro level and see what he can and can't do. The G League is good for reps, and there's a decent level of talent there, but it's not the same.

But coaching is there, and that’s what he needs. Coahing dedicated to developing the player more than coaching a player to win NBA games. While learning how to be a pro in a new country and circumstances without all the pressure

[Dan Z]

I don't know about the quality of development in the G League, especially with our organization (is Billy's son coaching the G League team too? If so, that's a horrid environment for young guys), but I'd have to imagine starting and playing 30+ MPG in the G League is better for his development than getting DNP-CD'd in the NBA and occasional gabrage time minutes.

The Bulls' G League affiliate is close enough that he could theoretically practice with the NBA team, therefore getting used to going against NBA-caliber players, then get sent down to play in G League games and get big minutes.

I agree with what I put in bold above, but I also think it's important to give Essengue some run at the NBA level at some point this season (and definitely not garbage minutes only).

A young player needs to play at the pro level and see what he can and can't do. The G League is good for reps, and there's a decent level of talent there, but it's not the same.

But coaching is there, and that’s what he needs. Coahing dedicated to developing the player more than coaching a player to win NBA games. While learning how to be a pro in a new country and circumstances without all the pressure

That's all good stuff and I do think Essengue spends a lot of time in the G League, but still think he should have a period of time when he gets a decent amount of minutes at the pro level (not starter minutes, but not garbage). Maybe late in the season? If so, he can use what he learned in the G League.

[GoBlue72391]

Do you think Essengue spends most of the year in the G League? It wouldn't surprise me and he does need reps, but I do wonder how good the g league is with player development (overall).

I don't know about the quality of development in the G League, especially with our organization (is Billy's son coaching the G League team too? If so, that's a horrid environment for young guys), but I'd have to imagine starting and playing 30+ MPG in the G League is better for his development than getting DNP-CD'd in the NBA and occasional gabrage time minutes.

The Bulls' G League affiliate is close enough that he could theoretically practice with the NBA team, therefore getting used to going against NBA-caliber players, then get sent down to play in G League games and get big minutes.

I agree with what I put in bold above, but I also think it's important to give Essengue some run at the NBA level at some point this season (and definitely not garbage minutes only).

A young player needs to play at the pro level and see what he can and can't do. The G League is good for reps, and there's a decent level of talent there, but it's not the same.

I'd like to see him get 10-15 minutes at the NBA level for development purposes, but honestly I don't think he's ready for that yet and that might be bad for him from day 1. Hopefully, after the ASB he'll be ready for those 10-15 rotation minutes, but then again, if we're in the thick of the playoff hunt, will Billy even play him?

[GoBlue72391]

Had some time to sleep on it. While it's undeniable, Noa didn't play well, it's clear there was no offensive flow. Once our guards got flustered with the defensive pressure, the game was essentially done.

A lot of Noa's turnovers if not all of them were because he tried to bring the ball up after the guards struggled. He dribbled into traps multiple times and had a very high dribble which the defense pounced on.

There were zero possessions where he was actually able to get the ball in the flow of the offense. He had some late clock heaves, and the one fastbreak where Yuki found him streaking downcourt.

We knew he was going to be a project and was going to take some time. He's still a kid, and is going to take some patience. Now, the coaching staff is going to have to make an effort to get the ball around, and make sure to highlight the actual roster players strengths.

I've said it for over a decade already. The Bulls never going into Summer League with a plan. They fill the team up with favors for agents and players who have zero chance at cracking an NBA roster spot. If the goal is to actually develop your future, we should make an effort to put some team oriented players on the roster. Yuki is definitely someone who is going to help in that effect, but JFL and Young are me first players who are going to get their baskets while ignoring everyone else.

All this, plus Billy's son is just compounding the SL incompetence. This guy makes Jim Boylen look like a genius. Just a horrible environment for player development. I think he's our GL coach too. Correct me if I'm wrong. I hope I am, because no one is going to develop playing for that dude.

[GoBlue72391]

The issue is there were zero traits that showed he will be a good basketball player. Can’t shoot, can’t dribble, iq looked bad, motor looked bad and body language wasn’t great either. Draft for boom but he doesn’t have elite athleticism or body either.

Well, that's not entirely true. He was overall horrible, but there were a couple of flashes, however brief they were.

The motor was troubling though, for sure, and I agree he doesn't have elite athleticism or body either. Good, but not elite.

[DuckIII]

Lol- I watched Wemby’s debut. Everyone ragging on it was full of it. He missed most his contested 3PAs and hit foul trouble, but had like 5 blocks in 20 minutes and did make some buckets, and was creating his own shots off the dribble.

I agree. I was mocking the mocking. I was watching the game and texted my buddy who is a Spurs fan something like "That's probably the worst he will ever look, and he still looked like the greatest basketball prospect ever."

Anyway, yes it was one game. But seeing him stripped every single time he faced up with the ball was a red flag, is all.

Why? And its not just "one game." That would suggest you might see something completely different the very next night. You won't. He's not skilled enough with the ball to face up on the perimeter and create against a set defense of players having NBA size and speed.

Its more than just one game. Its one game by an 18 year old who still requires years of training to refine his skills. That's what you saw. That's not a fed flag. Its just the absence of a strength that you'd be happier if he already had it. Which if he did, he'd have been the 6th pick in the draft.

It becomes a red flag when he still can't do it after 3 years (when he'd still be the age of a junior in college).

Hoping Noa has a better day.

He might. But it won't mean anything different.

[Dan Z]

I don't know about the quality of development in the G League, especially with our organization (is Billy's son coaching the G League team too? If so, that's a horrid environment for young guys), but I'd have to imagine starting and playing 30+ MPG in the G League is better for his development than getting DNP-CD'd in the NBA and occasional gabrage time minutes.

The Bulls' G League affiliate is close enough that he could theoretically practice with the NBA team, therefore getting used to going against NBA-caliber players, then get sent down to play in G League games and get big minutes.

I agree with what I put in bold above, but I also think it's important to give Essengue some run at the NBA level at some point this season (and definitely not garbage minutes only).

A young player needs to play at the pro level and see what he can and can't do. The G League is good for reps, and there's a decent level of talent there, but it's not the same.

I'd like to see him get 10-15 minutes at the NBA level for development purposes, but honestly I don't think he's ready for that yet and that might be bad for him from day 1. Hopefully, after the ASB he'll be ready for those 10-15 rotation minutes, but then again, if we're in the thick of the playoff hunt, will Billy even play him?

If he doesn't play him then that's a problem. It'll make me wonder why they even went with a raw prospect.

[fleet]

I could not disagree with that more. Summer league really is almost entirely meaningless except for identifying player traits.

"Summer league is meaningless" cries are there to remind panicky, illogical, emotional fans with no sense of history that it is in fact meaningless, which can easily be verified through hundreds and perhaps thousands of examples. Not for that kind of foolishness. Have objective reactions. Use full context when scouting as a fan. It’s sane.

Identifying player traits and potential transferability is a key idea in using summer league as a predictor. Therefore not meaningless relative to any other prior evaluation. Nobody calls college scouting “meaningless”. Euro scouting “ meaningless” It’s all meaningful in some respects with regard to predicting transferability of skills. The problem is that prospects are often moving targets with respect to their ultimate development profile in the NBA. There’s no reason to call any player exposure venue other than NBA “meaningless”. That’s extreme and unnecessary.

Its only necessary due to the panicky, emotional significance fans attach to it every single year like clockwork. Its a response to a response, not something people charge into the discussion with as their primary contention.

You can't equate SL to college and international leagues because the goals the players and coaches approach the game to achieve are not at all the same. We deliberately had Matas play PG and bring it up solo against pressure. Nothing about that was smart or good for the game being played. Most certainly when Noah was coughing up his dribble drives against a set defense, its because it was literally part of the game plan despite his raw handles. These things are experiments for the players who matter. And don't forget the players who "don't matter." They don't play with ordinary motives either. They are trying to make rosters and build tape, not win games.

I'll stop saying summer league is meaningless when fans stop treating it as meaningful. But I do agree with you that it is not literally meaningless. It does have meaning. Its just that the meaning is far more limited than much fan reaction suggests.

I think a thoughtful person, or NBA professional can take useful and relevant meaning from SL. That’s al I am saying. I am not commenting on the value of what some lesser opinions might be taking from SL play. It’s not necessary to say SL is meaningless. Fair to say some opinions might not carry much meaning however.

[DuckIII]

The Bulls' G League affiliate is close enough that he could theoretically practice with the NBA team, therefore getting used to going against NBA-caliber players, then get sent down to play in G League games and get big minutes.

I think that's more than theoretical. When we've had guys like Terry, Simonovic, Phillips and even Matas playing in the GL, I'm pretty sure they were still practicing with the team when it was in town. And in the case of most of those guys, I think they really only did the GL when in town. if the Bulls were on the road, they typically were as well.

By memory and impression only. Did not look back to confirm.

[Red Larrivee]

Its only necessary due to the panicky, emotional significance fans attach to it every single year like clockwork. Its a response to a response, not something people charge into the discussion with as their primary contention.

You can't equate SL to college and international leagues because the goals the players and coaches approach the game to achieve are not at all the same. We deliberately had Matas play PG and bring it up solo against pressure. Nothing about that was smart or good for the game being played. Most certainly when Noah was coughing up his dribble drives against a set defense, its because it was literally part of the game plan despite his raw handles. These things are experiments for the players who matter. And don't forget the players who "don't matter." They don't play with ordinary motives either. They are trying to make rosters and build tape, not win games.

I'll stop saying summer league is meaningless when fans stop treating it as meaningful. But I do agree with you that it is not literally meaningless. It does have meaning. Its just that the meaning is far more limited than much fan reaction suggests.

To add, I hope people remember that at one point Summer League wasn't even televised. The Orlando version of it that's been mentioned wasn't even open to the public. So, it literally was meaningless.

- Rookies who aren't in optimal game shape after all the traveling and draft press they've done over however many weeks
- 2nd/3rd year players who are just trying not to get injured
- Undrafted players who are chucking shots to get contracts in international leagues
- Literally no type of defense

We watched Derrick Rose's Summer League on a choppy stream. The announcers weren't even announcers. They barely called the game and were just roasting the entire event for how awful the basketball was. It just wasn't serious...at all.

I think this is a little more serious now, but it's still Saturday afternoon pickup basketball.

No knock against people who want to see certain things, but using it as a predictor or as another scouting tool just seems like a bad idea.

[2weekswithpay]

I agree with what I put in bold above, but I also think it's important to give Essengue some run at the NBA level at some point this season (and definitely not garbage minutes only).

A young player needs to play at the pro level and see what he can and can't do. The G League is good for reps, and there's a decent level of talent there, but it's not the same.

I'd like to see him get 10-15 minutes at the NBA level for development purposes, but honestly I don't think he's ready for that yet and that might be bad for him from day 1. Hopefully, after the ASB he'll be ready for those 10-15 rotation minutes, but then again, if we're in the thick of the playoff hunt, will Billy even play him?

If he doesn't play him then that's a problem. It'll make me wonder why they even went with a raw prospect.

AK has drafted a raw 3/4 with every FRP. Pat, Terry, Matas, and Noa.