Noa Essengue did exactly what he was supposed to do in his G League debut.
Assigned to the Windy City Bulls on Tuesday, the 18-year-old made the trip up to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to the affiliate’s second regular-season game of the year. The organization chose to hold him out of the season opener this past weekend, having him travel with the team for their two-game road trip. He failed to appear in either outing, making it 10 straight contests without a second on the court for the No. 12 overall pick. As important as all the off-court development work has been, the Bulls couldn’t wait much longer to feed the rookie meaningful in-game minutes.
Indeed, Essengue would have deserved some grace if he showed signs of rust. The forward had not appeared in any game since the Chicago Bulls’ final preseason matchup against the Timberwolves on Oct. 16. However, matching up against a slew of players hoping to carve out a big league role one day, Essengue looked nothing like an NBA newbie.
Oct 9, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Noa Essengue (24) goes up for a shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn ImagesNoa Essengue Shows Out in First G League Game
The rookie dropped 28 points with 8 rebounds in 29 minutes of action on Tuesday night. He shot 11-21 from the field and 2-6 from long range, steering the Windy City Bulls to a 127-114 victory. In an environment where it would have made perfect sense for Essengue to ease into the game, he did anything but.
The night started with a missed driving floater for Essengue that led to a Victor Oladipo three on the other end by the Wisconsin Herd. Moments later, he drilled his own high-arching catch-and-shoot three on the wing. Essengue proceeded to attack a closeout and weave his way to the rim a few minutes later for the easy layup. The aggressiveness remained after he was subbed back in near the end of the quarter. He grabbed the hand-off from Giorgi Bezhanishvili and used the screen to attack the rim once again. One possession later, he drilled another three.
Essengue scored 13 of his 28 points in the first quarter on 5-8 shooting. The hot start set the tone for what would be a very confident and comfortable night. All the positives we saw during the preseason and Summer League only stood out more on the G League floor. His sheer size was a major problem for the Herd, often making him look like a varsity player practicing with the Freshman team. He finished with ease over defenders at the rim and did not hesitate to charge the rim. When you watch the highlights, really pay attention to his length and how it allows him to finish from a wide variety of angles around the rim.
I was also very pleased to see the different ways in which Essenge found the bottom of the net. He easily snagged three offensive rebounds and converted a couple of second-chance opportunities. He came off screens and attacked off the dribble. He spaced the floor well and put himself in spots to shoot some open threes.
I’m especially encouraged by the fact that he dropped these 28 points while only going 3-3 from the free-throw line. Relying on whistles has been a big part of his game in the past, and he even found some success getting those calls in the preseason. Alas, those calls aren’t always going to come a young player’s way, and he adjusted well.
Did he still look a tad loose and fragile at times? Sure, and that’s going to be the case for quite some time. But the performance continued to speak to Essengue’s versatility and innate feel for the game. There is A LOT to like about the Bulls’ latest lottery pick.
You can watch Noa Essengue’s full highlights from his first Windy City Bulls game on YouTube or through the embedded link below!
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