Bulls' Noa Essengue expected to challenge Billy Donovan's beliefs in rookie season

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 1.1 blocks.

That said, it's easy to forget how small of a role he played to begin the year. In the 49 games before he entered the starting lineup, Buzelis averaged 14.0 minutes and only played more than 20 minutes 10 times. Essengue appeared in 25 EuroCup games over the last two seasons in addition to his role with Ratiopharm Ulm, compared to Buzelis' season against NBA G League competition with the Ignite.

It's easy to see why Essengue would be relegated to a deep bench role in his debut campaign with Chicago. Not so fast, however, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report.

Bulls rookie Noa Essengue predicted to earn starting role for Chicago

From a macro level, it's easy to see the logic behind Essengue getting loaded up with minutes this year. He was a lottery pick, fits snugly with what Chicago wants to do on both ends of the court and is a key piece on what's supposed to be a rebuilding franchise. Things with the Bulls aren't that simple.

Despite finishing each of the last three seasons with losses to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament, Chicago doesn't believe it's necessary to kick off a full-scale rebuild. From the front office to the coaching staff to the players, the organization believes it can compete for a playoff spot.

Handing a teenager with a raw skill set who's adjusting to life in another country, let alone the NBA, heavy minutes isn't a recipe for climbing the standings.

For as promising as Buzelis' season was, he finished 11th on the team in minutes per game. Julian Phillips and Dalen Terry, two of Chicago's other high-upside prospects, finished 13th and 14th in mpg, respectively.

Donovan likes to straddle the line between winning games and developing players, which makes him a perfect fit for the Bulls. When push comes to shove, though, winning takes precedence.

The idea of Buzelis and Essengue playing heavy minutes together is certainly alluring. Both players are 6-foot-10, long, athletic and are fully loaded with potential. They could be interchangeable on both ends and help Chicago play even faster. Their movement skills and long limbs could improve one of the worst defenses in the NBA.

Just don't expect to see a lot of it early, or, depending on where the Bulls sit in the standings toward the end of the season, often.