BREAKING: Chicago Bulls Select Noa Essengue 12th Overall | High UPSIDE Pick?

BREAKING: Chicago Bulls Select Noa Essengue 12th Overall | High UPSIDE Pick?

the pick is in the Chicago Bulls have made a selection in the 2025 NBA draft i’m Doug Branson joined now by host of Locked On Bulls Hayes and the Chicago Bulls have selected Noah Essenay with the 12th pick uh Hayes your reaction to taking the first international player in this year’s draft someone very toolsy got some defensive upside what do you think about Noah Essenay to the Bulls i I like him as a raw prospect with a lot of upside um it just feels like to me that this is the Bulls again going upside where they had some players that made more sense to what they need right now but we knew the Bulls coming into this draft were kind of focused more so on uh on ceiling and and getting the player that they feel like can be the best player available long term so I like I like SN i like what he can do with modest bisellis uh being the them being eventually the three four combo I think is going to be the goal here and that’s what the NBA is kind of going to switchable forwards that both can be tools and do a little bit of everything and that could be what they have here long term they’re just going to have to really invest in polishing um that potential that has
are you surprised they go here someone that’s not very physically imposing uh when there were a there was a lot of size left on the boards derrick Queen had not been drafted uh to that point are you surprised they didn’t go with a little more beef in Chicago
i am the center position has been one that we know we have to address for quite a while now and I think with Sorber Queen uh all on the board Danny Wolf who I think may still be on the board as we’re having this conversation but those guys uh to leave them on the board at a position of need is a little bit of a question for me now I know that those guys may not have the potential high high ceiling like uh Essen Gay but one of the things I had been talking about is that the Bulls have to consider the floor and that’s something that we haven’t done a really good job at is looking at the potential floor of a player and players like Queen players like Sorbber I think have way higher floors and they could have been more what the Bulls need right now i And that that did surprise me
how do you think they’re going to manage his development early on is in his rookie season do you think they will give uh him do you think they’ll give him immediate minutes or do you think they’re going to let him uh develop in the G-League or possibly overseas
i see G-League minutes coming for for him um the Bulls have never really been a team that really has played rookies early on now if he comes in with a switchable defense if that’s uh more advanced than what they they they are projecting to be I do see he him getting on on on the court but I think he’s going to start off in the G- League quite a bit uh to be honest and um yeah if if any Bulls fans are expecting to see Essen Gay at the season start may want to start tempering those expectations a little bit
uh you mentioned early on in the interview you know how he’s going to pair with another pick that they made last uh year in Matas Buzz when you take those picks when you zoom out and you look at both of those picks what does it tell you about what Chicago is trying to do in the short term and the long term
i think it means that they’re trying to catch up with the modern NBA it feels like they are trying to get to the place where they have like I said these interchangeable Fords think of like like Boston i’m not saying they could reach that level but like Fords that can do a little bit of everything um it’s just they they still have things that they need to that they need to solidify we don’t know if Kobe and Giddy are going to work long term together uh but I think this pick is more so them looking at their pick last year in Bzelis and saying “Hey we may have we may have gotten his his pairing uh there at the 34 matchup which I’m not too mad at if it works out.” But that’s that’s the big question here having uh Dan Craig and Wes Unselled as two assistants on our who have you know they’ve developed players like uh Jamal Murray and and Michael Porter Jr uh Bam Adabio those type of players maybe you know they’re they’re relying on that to help his development along but I don’t think he’s going to get a lot of minutes right away
all right you can catch Hayes on Locked on Bulls of course you can also catch him on Locked on NBA where he’s my co-host uh so I’m sure we will be talking about this uh pick as well as all the other picks tomorrow on Locked on NBA for more coverage of Noah Essen Gay you can find Hayes and his co-host Pat the Designer on Locked On Bulls on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast part of the Locked on Podcast Network your team every

With the No. 12 Pick in the NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls select Noa Essengue. Doug Branson and Locked On Bulls host Haize break down the selection. #noaessengue #chicagobulls #nbadraft

Call or text the show: (331) 240-1180

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOBulls?sid=YouTube

Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA

Follow Locked On Bulls on Twitter
Locked On Bulls: https://twitter.com/LockedOnBulls
Haize: https://twitter.com/CEOHaize
Pat: https://twitter.com/PatTheDesigner

Support us by supporting our sponsors! | Offers from our sponsors:
WayFair
Give your home the refresh it needs with Wayfair. Head to Wayfair.com right now. Wayfair. Every style. Every home.

Monarch Money
Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNBA at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year.

Door Dash
Sign up for DashPass and when any player scores 50+ in a playoff game, DashPass members can grab a free 3PC Crispy Tenders Combo from Wingstop the next day, with a $20+ order and code WINGSTOP50. That’s DashPass: your door to more savings, more flavor, and more ways to win. Terms apply.

Valid only at participating Wingstop locations. Fees (including service fee), taxes, and gratuity still apply. Orders must have a minimum subtotal of $20, excluding taxes and fees. Offer valid on 4/15/25-6/22 /25 or while supplies last. Valid for one (1) promotional redemption per customer. DoubleDash promotions apply only to your DoubleDash add-on order, not your primary order. DoubleDash orders are not valid for the purchase of alcohol. No cash value. Non-transferable. Discount applies to subtotal only; does not apply to fees, taxes, and gratuity. Not valid for pickup. Limit one per person. Not valid for the purchase of alcohol. Fees, taxes, and gratuity still apply. Must have an active DashPass account. Use promo code WINGSTOP50 to redeem. See full terms and conditions at drd.sh/qnAXuU
FanDuel
Right now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)