Chicago Bulls rookie struggles in his first NBA contest

The Chicago Bulls opened their first summer league game by getting blown out by the Toronto Raptors 116-72. The NBA Summer League is an exciting time for the next generation to gain some NBA experience and showcase their skills to their new fan bases.

For the Bulls, their summer league focuses on two of their young stars, Matas Buzelis and their draft pick from this past draft, forward Noa Essengue. Essengue is an 18-year-old from France and has the potential to be a decent NBA player, but he’s a project for the time being.

It will take time for Essengue to get his footing and feel comfortable playing in the league, but his first appearance in the summer league didn’t go as he or the Bulls had hoped.

Chicago Bulls’ Noa Essengue flounders in his first summer league game

The Bulls weren’t the only ones who had a rough night to begin the summer league season, as Essengue showed why it will take time to adjust to the pace of an NBA game. Even though he’s not going against grown men and hardened NBA veterans, Essengue struggled to put up quality numbers against guys closer to his age.

In his first 24 minutes as an NBA player, Essengue only scored 5.0 points, took down 3.0 rebounds, and was 2-7 from the field. Essengue also committed three personal fouls while making only one shot from behind the arc in three attempts. The worst part of Essengue’s night was him turning the ball over seven times and not having one assist on his line.

Essengue spoke to reporters after the game, talking to them about his performance, telling the Chicago Tribune’s Julia Poe that he was “disappointed” in himself.

Essengue on his performance via the Chicago Tribune:

“I’m disappointed,” Essengue said. “That’s my first game. But I just have to take in. I can just get better right now. That just gives me more confidence.”

There are some positives, however, as Essengue recognized some areas where he needs to improve, pointing to his dribbling skills and his inability to attack the basket.

“I need to improve everything — my dribble, my shooting skills, my go to the basket,” Essengue said. “I missed a lot of shots, I did a lot of turnovers.”

A long road ahead for the youngster

Thankfully for Essengue, this is only his first action in an NBA contest, and he has a long road ahead of him to improve himself and be better than he was the day before. The Bulls may have something special in Essengue once he fully develops, with some comparing him to another Giannis Antetokounmpo, but he needs to prove that by getting better.

For now, Essengue needs to focus on slowing the game down and improving in the areas he said he needs. That’s what the summer league is for, and hopefully, we’ll see him make those adjustments each game.