LAS VEGAS — It turned out to be a don’t-blink weekend in the desert.
The 2025 NBA Draft class brought some serious star power to the first four days of Summer League play, and some of those stars shot across the sky but quickly disappeared into the July night.
Be it load management, injury, the plan or maybe a mix of all of the above, No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg put in two eye-opening games, then it was announced Sunday that he likely was done until fall camp.
Flagg wasn’t alone, either.
No. 2 pick Dylan Harper (groin) played for the first time in four months and wasn’t sure when he’d be seen again, No. 3 pick VJ Edgecombe has been sidelined in Vegas and Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach played in one game before it was decided that they would sit out Game 2, then play it by ear.
The Bulls found themselves in the same boat.
The original plan for forward Matas Buzelis, the Bulls’ first-round pick in 2024, was to play in the first two games, then shut it down, but because of how physical the Raptors played him, he was held out of the second game, and the hope was to have him back Monday against the Pacers.
The Bulls were off Sunday, but Buzelis was going to get more treatment, then see about Monday.
The other wait-and-see situation for the Bulls was rookie forward Noa Essengue, 18, who was dealing with a bruised right thigh/knee that forced him out in the third quarter Saturday. He was limping to and from the interview area afterward.
That’s not an ideal start, especially because the plan for Essengue was to get him in all four scheduled games. He needs to play as much as he can for his development.
Bulls Summer League coach Billy Donovan III said the plan now was further treatment for Essengue on Sunday, then an assessment of his status during the shootaround Monday morning.
Considering how raw Essengue has looked, sitting out would be a missed opportunity. That’s the case for any project.
Drafting Essengue at No. 12 wasn’t necessarily a reach, but it was a head-scratcher that the Bulls were the team that drafted him. After all, they were known to be eyeing Collin Murray-Boyles — one of the more physically developed prospects in the lottery — but when he was snapped up at No. 9, they went in a completely different direction, taking one of the least-ready lottery talents.
Maybe that’s why Essengue looked so overwhelmed in his debut Friday.
Credit to the Bulls’ Summer League coaching staff for changing the game plan a night later and speeding up the pace.
Essengue is limited in the half-court game, so the focus was playing to his strengths as much as possible.
“That’s the whole reason we want to play fast,” Donovan said. “There’s no better time to attack and get those one-on-one opportunities than in transition. The beauty about his skill set is once he gets the ball off the glass, he has the ability to push in the open floor, which allows us to play faster.”
Essengue appreciated the change.
“That’s the type of basketball I’ve trained for,” Essengue said. “That’s the style I play.”
Now the key for the rest of the week is to make sure Essengue can play in the games.