As evidenced by his slow playing of Matas Buzelis last season, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan can often be reluctant to play rookies heavy minutes in important roles. That will likely mean limited action for this year's lottery pick, Noa Essengue, but at least one major outlet expects the 18-year-old to lock down a starting role by the end of 2025-26.
Buzelis didn't enter Donovan's starting group regularly until early February but showed why he's one of the franchise's future stars. In the Bulls' final 31 games, the 20-year-old averaged 13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.