The writing was on the wall in Summer League.

Even when Bulls rookie Noa Essengue was scoring the basketball back in July, there were too many moments of getting overwhelmed physically by players his age. Moments that obviously wouldn’t translate well once the 18-year-old would have to compete against grown NBA men.

Now with five preseason games under his belt, concerns became reality. A reality that screams that at least for the start of the regular season, consistent playing time will be a tough get for the 12th overall pick in the 2025 draft.

“The kid’s feel is really good. He understands spacing and movement, but there’s just sometimes where he physically … one, I think the speed of the game is totally different for him, and two, the physical part,” coach Billy Donovan said, putting a bow on Essengue’s preseason showing. “He’s got to really invest a lot of time in his body. He’s got to learn to play a little bit lower to the ground because he does lack a little bit of strength. He doesn’t really do much off the dribble and again offensively when he’s cutting, the physicality of moving him off of screens and out of place. I think those will all be part of his development piece.

“But in terms of the IQ piece and him knowing who he is as a player, the way he plays the game, I think is very good.”

A definite positive, but with a deep Bulls roster intact, not enough for Essengue to be a factor in the frontcourt.

Matas Buzelis and Isaac Okoro feel like starters, while Patrick Williams, Julian Phillips, Dalen Terry and Jalen Smith each outperformed the rookie. In getting 13.8 minutes per game, Essengue averaged 3.8 points, grabbing 1.8 rebounds. He didn’t shoot the ball well from three (11.1%) and was only 33% from the field.

Fortunately for him he will have time on his side to work on that development. The beginning of the schedule allows the Bulls a lot of practice time, and then once the G League Windy City Bulls start up, Essengue could go back and forth for both practice time and games.

He’ll need it.

“The ball beats his feet a lot of times and what I mean by that is when he catches it he’s never quite ready to make the next move,” Donovan said. “That’s something we’ve spent a lot of time with him on. In terms of in-space defensively, he’s really good. He’s long, he’s got good instincts, but when it gets body-on-body, he’s got to be able to get over pick-and-rolls. Those things are new to him.”

Also working in Essengue’s favor is he won’t be alone with Windy City, developing with a bunch of guys that have a long shot at an NBA future. Second-round pick Lachlan Olbrich will also see a heavy dose in the G League, as well as spark plug point guard Yuki Kawamura.

Kawamura – all 5-7 of him – could be a nice piece to help Essengue’s development, not only because of his passing ability, but also the way Kawamura can push the pace.

What Essengue also has on his side in being a willing student is a maturity from playing overseas in the German League.

“I’m encouraged by him just because of who he is and the make-up of him as a player and a person,” Donovan said.