It’s not Noa Essengue’s fault.
After all, the Bulls fell on the French prospect; he didn’t fall on them.
But here we are at about the quarter mark of the regular season after the Bulls’ 103-101 loss to the Pacers on Saturday, and of the 14 lottery selections from the vaunted 2025 NBA Draft class, Essengue (selected at No. 12) has played the least, and it’s not even close.
Again, it’s not his fault.
Essengue, 18, is a by-product of a front office that works from a place of little urgency, if any. On draft day, the Bulls even admitted that he was a project, a kick-the-can-down-the-road talent who might emerge in two seasons. Executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas was 100% truthful.
Be patient.
It doesn’t matter that Karnisovas promised a return to the Michael Jordan championship glory days when he was hired six seasons ago.
Be patient.
It doesn’t matter that Karnisovas has signed two backroom contract extensions despite one playoff win on his résumé.
Be patient.
It doesn’t matter that this front office is wasting the talents of Coby White, Josh Giddey and Nikola Vucevic because of a failure to understand the most important aspect of the job — roster construction.
Be patient.
Sorry, patience has run out. It ran out a few years ago, actually. It was just pardoned through the first few weeks of this season when the Bulls were the talk of the league after an impressive 6-1 start with victories over the Pistons, Magic, Knicks and 76ers. Hey, maybe the front office finally figured it out?
Nah, just the latest mirage.
Since the stellar start, the Bulls have gone 3-9 with losses to the Jazz, Pelicans and Hornets. More than losses, they were embarrassments. The Bulls lack physicality and play way too soft. Basically, it’s the same team the Heat humiliated in the play-in game last April.
But Karnisovas fell in love with the 15-5 end of the regular season rather than the last game of the 2024-25 season and ran it all back with the addition of Isaac Okoro. Why not? Job security isn’t on the table. Urgency is something the other 29 executives around the league have to be concerned about.
That’s why coach Billy Donovan once again found himself trying to answer for the franchise Saturday; Karnisovas speaks with the media less than a handful of times a year.
“Going back to the summer, OK, the physicality, competitive part of the team, that was the next iteration,” Donovan said when asked about roster-construction concerns. “I think Arturas even mentioned that we’ve got to evaluate guys.
“This is how I look at it as I take a bigger view of everything: There is no question we have to get better in that area [of physicality and defense] collectively. I do think that some of the minute restrictions — and no one’s fault because it is what it is — and [Zach] Collins being out and Okoro not playing [because of a back issue], that has really impacted us, so we haven’t been whole. Coby [White’s] in and out has been tough. The West Coast swing, six [games] in nine [days], all those things have been tough, but you know what, everybody has to deal with it, so I’m not making an excuse. But the consistency part has been what’s been disappointing to me. It’s been too much up and down.”
The Bulls lack physicality, size and a killer instinct defensively. Here’s a novel idea: Fix it.
Okoro was a solid addition, but he can only guard one player on the other team. Matas Buzelis is promising as a rim protector but is in his second season. Essengue could be an elite defender, but who has five years to wait?
Actually, Karnisovas probably does.
This season only ends three ways: One, the front office does what it should’ve done years ago and blows it up by sending their numerous expiring contracts out, looking for draft assets and taking advantage of a loaded 2026 draft class.
Two, the Bulls take a big swing by adding Anthony Davis, hoping he can stay healthy, and he helps them take advantage of an Eastern Conference in which the Celtics and Pacers are having down seasons because of injuries.
Three, they stay the course of evaluation, hope the talent jump comes in-house and pre-pay for the hotel rooms for the play-in game. In other words, do what Karnisovas has done for years and will do again.
Be patient.
When there’s no urgency or accountability, he’s afforded that luxury.