Noa Essengue is back on the floor, and that matters now because the Chicago Bulls are opening Summer League while their No. 12 pick from the 2025 NBA Draft tries to turn a lost first year into a fresh start. After his first real practice in quite some time, the 19-year-old said he was nearly fully restored, but also honest about what a year away from basketball has done to his rhythm.
“Not playing for a year, that was a hard time, not going to lie,” Essengue said. “Just being back out there, finding a new feeling for basketball.”
He had only two NBA games last year before shoulder surgery ended his season, and he said the recovery has changed more than his timetable. “I got a new shoulder, so I have to learn how to play again,” he said, a line that fits the work in front of him as much as the comeback itself.
That return comes with a real test. The Bulls have added two more talented and versatile wings, which means Essengue is not just trying to get healthy — he is trying to get noticed. He said he wants to be back on the court and compete every game, and that Summer League is the right place to start, but minutes will have to be earned in a crowded rotation.
For Essengue, the timing is the point. He is nearly 100 percent physically and mentally, but the Bulls are not waiting for a long runway. They will tip off their Las Vegas circuit on July 10 against the Memphis Grizzlies, and that first game will show how quickly he can turn a year of rehab into real production again.
