Bulls take 18-year-old Essengue at
No. 12. Their Central rivals select older players in 2nd round
[June 27, 2025]
By STEVE MEGARGEE
An uneventful NBA draft for the Central Division likely didn’t do
much to change its balance of power for the immediate future.
The only Central Division team with a first-round pick was the
Chicago Bulls, who bet on Noa Essengue's long-term upside by using
the No. 12 overall pick on the 18-year-old French forward. A few of
their Central rivals then added more experienced college players in
Thursday's second round.
Indiana added a pair of 23-year-old guards, as they acquired the No.
38 pick from San Antonio to take Marquette's Kam Jones and then
chose Liberty's Taelon Peter at No. 54. Detroit also added a
23-year-old guard by selecting Tennessee's Chaz Lanier at No. 37.
With the first of its two second-round picks, Cleveland took
21-year-old Duke guard Tyrese Proctor at No. 49.
Those older guards represented a contrast from the big swing Chicago
took on a teenager.
Essengue is the second-youngest player in this draft class and only
three days older than No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, the former
Duke star who went first overall to Dallas. The 6-foot-9 Essengue
has played professionally in Germany the last two years.
“I think I can do pretty much everything, all the little details
like shooting, passing the ball, attacking the rim," Essengue said.
"That’s my biggest strength right now, is the open-court game.”
Essengue has been playing for Ratiopharm Ulm, but he left his team
as it competed in the German league finals to be in New York for the
draft.
“We talked a lot with my coaching staff, all the staff from Ulm,"
Essengue said. “(I said), ‘If I go to the green room, I’m leaving.
The coach said, ‘Yes, go to see your dream.’ So yeah, the day I
(found out) I’m in the green room, Coach said, ’Just go there and
live your dream, and we’re gonna finish the job.’ ”
Essengue's youth means that this pick might not pay immediate
dividends for the Bulls, who have just one playoff appearance in the
five seasons since Arturas Karnisovas was hired as executive vice
president of basketball operations.
“I see him as a two-way player who can impact the game both
offensively and defensively," Bulls general manager Marc Eversley
said. “His ability to get to the free-throw line and play downhill
is super intriguing to us. I think he’ll be able to be a versatile
wing defender.”
Chicago Bulls
Needs: The Bulls were seeking frontcourt help, particularly at
center with veteran Nikola Vucevic entering the final season of a
three-year, $60 million deal.
Who they drafted: They took Essengue at No. 12 overall. In the
second round, they acquired the No. 55 pick from the Los Angeles
Lakers and selected Lachlan Olbrich, a 21-year-old forward from
Australia.
NBA comparison for Essengue: His ball-handling skills and ability to
finish and defend have drawn comparisons to Pascal Siakam and
Nicolas Batum. But he will need to improve his shooting. Essengue
turns 19 in December.
Detroit Pistons
Needs: The Pistons could use some size and outside shooting. They
lacked frontcourt muscle when burly forward Isaiah Stewart missed
much of the first-round playoff matchup with the New York Knicks.
Detroit also needed to make more 3-pointers in the closely contested
series. The three-time championship franchise finally has a star to
build around in All-NBA third team guard Cade Cunningham. Now, it
needs time to determine if former first-round picks Jaden Ivey,
Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland can help Cunningham on the perimeter.
[to top of second column] |
Noa Essengue greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being
selected 12th by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the NBA
basketball draft, Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in New York. (AP
Photo/Adam Hunger)
Who they drafted: They used the No. 37 overall pick
on Lanier, a 6-4 guard who averaged 18 points his lone year at
Tennessee after spending four seasons at North Florida.
Indiana Pacers
Needs: With centers Myles Turner, Thomas Bryant and Isaiah Jackson
all potentially hitting free agency, Indiana’s most glaring hole is
frontcourt depth. Indiana would like to re-sign Turner, a deal that
could send the Pacers into the first salary cap apron. Finding an
experienced big man would be ideal. Even after losing Tyrese
Haliburton to a torn Achilles tendon, Indiana still has plenty of
backcourt bodies.
Who they drafted: Indiana obtained the No. 38 overall pick in a
trade with San Antonio and used it on Kam Jones, who earned
Associated Press All-America second-team honors at Marquette. They
used the No. 54 pick on Peter, who had 13.7 points per game at
Liberty this year after previously playing for Tennessee Tech and
Arkansas Tech.
Milwaukee Bucks
Needs: Damian Lillard’s torn Achilles, Gary Trent Jr.’s unrestricted
free agency and Kevin Porter’s potential free agency (he has a $2.5
million player option) creates plenty of backcourt questions. The
Bucks also could use a young big man. Brook Lopez and Jericho Sims
are unrestricted free agents, and Bobby Portis could join them if he
doesn’t pick up his $13.4 million option
Who they drafted: In the second round, the Bucks used the 47th
overall pick on Bogoljub Markovic, a 6-11 forward from Serbia.
Markovic turns 20 on July 12.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Needs: Cleveland doesn’t have many roster holes, but it does have a
need for a big body in the middle to add depth. The Cavaliers have
Jarrett Allen and NBA defensive player of the year Evan Mobley, but
not much else when it comes to someone with size and who can be
physical in the paint. That need was apparent during their
second-round playoff loss to Indiana.
Who they drafted: The Cavs used the 49th overall pick on Proctor.
They also had the No. 58 selection and took Saliou Niang, a guard
from Senegal. Proctor is a good playmaker and shot 40.1% on
3-pointers last season. He could fill a need if the Cavs are unable
to re-sign Ty Jerome or Sam Merrill, who are unrestricted free
agents. The 21-year old Niang is a good defender but needs work on
his jumper. He is expected to be with Virtus Bologna in the
Euroleague next season.
___
AP sports writers Larry Lage, Michael Marot, Joe Reedy and Andrew
Seligman contributed to this report.
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