PORTLAND – Billy Donovan admittedly thought it would happen in Denver.
After all, the Bulls coach watched his team fall in double overtime the night before in Utah, get on a plane to the “Mile High City” afterwards, and then have to take on the powerhouse Nuggets less than 24 hours later.
Of course Monday would have been the perfect landing spot for rookie Noa Essengue to make his NBA debut and get some actual minutes in a big boy game.
The problem was the rest of the roster didn’t get the memo.
They not only didn’t play like a tired team, but the Bulls actually won the game, making it so Essengue would again be in a holding pattern.
He remains the only lottery pick – 12th overall – to not get any sort of substantial playing time so far this season.
“If he’s not getting on the floor, which Patrick (Williams), Julian (Phillips), Matas (Buzelis), it’s just hard right now,” Donovan said Wednesday, naming some of the players that remained in front of Essengue on the depth chart. “But we can’t waste a year for him. If he’s not getting necessarily a lot of minutes this year, we’ve got to utilize the G League the best we can.”
That they will do, as Donovan said the plan was for Essengue to return to the Windy City Bulls for the Saturday home game.
Between now and then? It remains extra work with the developmental coaches and overtime put in the weightroom.
“He’s got to get physically stronger, and again, I haven’t given him the opportunity,” Donovan said. “I’m going off the preseason when I saw him out there. The pace and speed of the game, being able to guard multiple options with his feet, being able to play when he catches it against closeouts, I think those are going to be growth things that we need to focus on.”
What’s on Essengue’s side is because he played professionally in the German League, there’s a certain amount of maturity that he brought from overseas. So while Donovan makes it a point to talk to him frequently and make sure he’s keeping his spirits up with no playing time, he’s not overly concerned that it will drag Essengue down.
“It’s a tricky situation,” Donovan said. “He’s really mature in a lot of ways. He knows this is going to be a process. At 18 years old, whatever his path will be, as long as he continues to keep the mentality where it is right now, he’s a good worker, he pays attention … for him right now, what’s overwhelming is the speed, the strength, the athleticism, the physicality, and it’s going to take some time for him to catch up.”
Left out
Tre Jones missed his third consecutive game for the Bulls on Wednesday, still dealing with a sprained left ankle that he suffered in the loss to Detroit.
There’s progress, but not enough for the point guard.
“He’s gotten considerably better, but the concern is him going and just with the minutes whatever they would be, him getting sore and setting himself back,” Donovan said. “They don’t want to put him in a situation where he’ll have more discomfort moving forward. We’re still optimistic that he can play when we get back home in the back-to-back (on Friday), but we’ll see.”
Minute man
Guard Coby White (right calf) was again coming off the bench against the Trail Blazers, just his second game of the regular season. The good news was his minutes restriction was bumped up from 24 in Utah to 26-28 minutes in Portland.