Noah Essengue gets a month-to-month approach from Billy Donovan

After four games, Chicago Bulls are on their first unbeaten start since 2021. However, their 2025 NBA draft pick from France was absent from the action. His name is Noah Essengue.

Back in April, Esenge was the 12th overall pick to play for the French U16 and U18 national teams. In 2022, he won a bronze medal at the U16 European Championship. On Friday, the head coach of the Bulls Billy Donovan provided context about how he intends to take Esengo with him.

Basically, Donovan wants to do it “month to month” before Essenge sees any action. Meanwhile, Esenge will start with the Windy City Bulls of the NBA G League.

Bulls coach Billy Donovan explains his “month-by-month” approach to getting rookie Noah Esenge playing time. pic.twitter.com/TKSal6i6uNi

— Zachary Draves (@DravesZachari) October 31, 2025

Donovan also said that while Esenge will be in attendance for the Bulls’ game against the New York Knicks on Friday, he will not travel to New York for their second NBA Cup game on Sunday.

Over the summer, Esenge showed some promise during the NBA Summer League. For example, he got a vote on SportsCenter for a great dunk in a game against the Indiana Pacers. That was his “Welcome to the NBA” moment.

However, he suffered a contusion in his right quad, which forced him to sit out the last two games of the Summer League.

The Bulls are looking to start the season 5-0 against the Knicks. It will be the first time since the historic 1996-1997 season that they have won their first five games. The season in which they won their fifth championship in franchise history over the Utah Jazz.

Noah Essengue is in the right place.

Overall, Essengue brings a skill set that meets Taurus right where they are. After all, they are a predominantly young team made up of players with athleticism and versatility.

As a forward, Essngue brings both qualities that could complement the likes of Matas Bouzelis, Isaac Okoro, Patrick Williams and Kevin Huerter. In addition, Esenge could help fill a need: a strong defender, something Donovan has put a lot of emphasis on.

That can benefit the likes of Okoro and Tre Jones, who can trust a fully developed Essengue to take over. But one of his most significant weaknesses is his lack of physical ability. If he could get stronger from that point of view, he’ll go.