2025 NBA Draft Profile - How Would French Forward Noa Essengue Fit With The Atlanta Hawks?

Let's take a look at Essengue strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths:

Essengue is a combo forward who is gifted with a 6-foot-10 frame and has good movement based on his build. He uses his size and feet to his advantage when in transition and having to switch matchups on defense, as well as having enough strength to guard positions inside and outside of the paint, as he has the quickness to recover on defensive lapses. Essengue has demonstrated the ability to be a consistent pest on defense, averaging one steal per game and possessing good timing when it comes to deflecting passes. On the offensive end, Essengue excels at getting to the basket, whether that be in transition, cutting to, or driving to the basket, and can create his shot against a tough defense. Another aspect that has stood out to me regarding Essengue's game is his improved mid-range shooting, which has benefited from his work with shooting coach Adam Harrington, formerly of Auburn. Essengue has also demonstrated a good ability to rebound, averaging five rebounds per game this season. His standing reach is 9'3, and his wingspan is 6'11 at just 18 years old, and he has room to continue to grow at his size to go along with a high motor.

Weaknesses:

Although Essengue does things well, he still has room for improvement, specifically in his scoring abilities, as he strives to get easy baskets from cutting and transition rather than creating for himself and struggles with shooting the ball from three-point range. He doesn't seem comfortable with attempting three-point shots as he shot under two threes a game this season, and he will need to try, as well as make more shots from deep if he wants to be effective in today's NBA. Essengue can also improve his playmaking, as he averaged only one assist this season, and can be overly aggressive at times on both defense and offense when driving to the basket. He averaged nearly three fouls per game and will likely be a long-term developmental project, as he will be only 18 years old at the start of the NBA season, and his game isn't fully developed yet overall.

Overall:

The Atlanta Hawks adding Essengue to the roster could be beneficial, given his raw defensive abilities and size, which complement an already lengthy young team. His ability to get to the basket and create free throw opportunities, as he averaged 5.6 free throw attempts per game this season, will help the Hawks continue to excel in what they do best. The fact that he doesn't need the ball in his hands will also allow Trae Young to run the offense as he likes. Defensively, he can make up for mistakes that the Hawks may make and the potential matchup problems they could face against bigger teams based on his long build and high motor. Where things could get a bit tricky is the fact that Essengue hasn't established a reliable jump shot or ability to create for himself, which is what the Hawks need offensively. His overall game isn't fully developed, so he isn't yet a consistent threat for teams to worry about, as he is only 18 and will need time to mature. The Hawks have someone similar to this on the roster in Zaccharie Risacher, and while he's shown promise, he still needs time to develop as well, and one has to wonder how much the Hawks want to keep adding teenage talent at the forward position.

More Atlanta Hawks Draft News:

2025 NBA Draft Profile - How Would French Forward Noah Penda Fit With The Atlanta Hawks?

2025 NBA Draft Profile- How Would Michigan Forward/Center Danny Wolf Fit With The Atlanta Hawks?

2025 NBA Draft Profile- How Would BYU Guard Egor Demin Fit With The Atlanta Hawks?