His English is good. It’ll get much better.
But what about Noa Essengue’s game?
That’s really where all eyes will be trained on starting Tuesday in Cleveland, where the Bulls open their five-game preseason schedule.
Can Essengue, 18, handle the physical play with such a slim frame, is the game too fast for him, can he guard, will he get overwhelmed?
They’re all fair questions to ask of a player with professional experience in the German League who’s still considered a project.
Essengue, whom the Bulls selected with the 12th pick in the draft, will take time to develop, possibly a full season or two. If it comes quicker than that, go ahead and pencil in that rapid progress as an unanticipated bonus.
Through the first week of training camp, that’s almost how the Bulls are approaching it.
“There’s processes [rookies] go through that you have to help them with other than ballhandling, passing, shooting,” coach Billy Donovan said.
“Just how to be a pro, how to get yourself prepared to play, how you can impact the game, how you pay attention to scouting reports, how you watch film. Do you go home and actually work and do some things? Those are the things you try to help players with, and hopefully those things transfer onto the court.”
They will for Essengue, but probably not when the regular season begins because of the Bulls’ depth.
If one wants to find the Frenchman playing in a professional basketball game this winter, enjoy the scenic drive to Hoffman Estates, where the G League Windy City Bulls reside.
Along with fan favorite/cult hero Yuki Kawamura, a 5-8 Japanese point guard, Essengue could be getting plenty of run out there.
“We’re not going to put high expectations on what’s going to happen,” Bulls executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas said. “We’re just going to see how [Essengue] does the rest of training camp and how he does in the preseason. We’ll make those decisions then.”
But there’s a recent precedent that should be noted.
Fellow forward Matas Buzelis was more talented than Essengue as a rookie in camp last season, and he fought for minutes the first half of the season before things really clicked for him.
“I understand when you have a young player, people want to see the young player play just to see what the guy can do,” Donovan said. “I think the perfect example of that is Matas last year.
‘‘There were things that, quite honestly, he just wasn’t doing where I didn’t feel he earned the opportunity to get extended minutes. Every player is a little different, and their path to growth is a little different, right? I don’t want to say [Buzelis] likes to make mistakes, but he embraces mistakes as an opportunity to learn. The one thing you saw from him as the season unfolded is that everything he got, he really earned, and he did a really good job.”
Donovan said Essengue does have an important factor on his side: a feel for the game. It’s a key building block on an unfinished structure, one that can’t always be taught or coached.
Nevertheless, expectations should be tempered.
“He’s going to have to get better with his strength; he’s going to have to get better guarding the ball one-on-one,” Donovan said. “I think as young as Essengue is, this is going to be a process for him.”