Analyst: Chicago Bulls wouldn’t pick Noa Essengue in draft redo

The Chicago Bulls needed a big man badly in the NBA Draft. Only Nikola Vucevic and Zack Collins can play center on the current roster, which is why the Bulls were linked to Derik Queen and others for so long. They ultimately went with a toolsy forward in Noa Essengue, but if the draft were done over again, would they? According to Bleacher Report writer Greg Swartz, they would not.

Instead, they pick Duke center Khaman Maluach, a player who went 10th to the Phoenix Suns initially. “Originally off the board already, the Chicago Bulls should be thrilled to get Khaman Maluach here,” the analyst wrote. This gives the Bulls a franchise center to build around, but it doesn’t impact the timeline. Maluach is very young and raw, similar to Essengue.

“Nikola Vucevic is about a week shy of his 35th birthday and will be a free agent next offseason. The Bulls need to find their next franchise center to pair with Josh Giddey, Mastas Buzelis, Coby White, and others, an area they didn’t fill by selecting forward Noa Essengue,” Swartz continued.

There’s no world where Maluach ever develops into the offensive standout that Vucevic is, but Swartz believes he will be a “far better rim protector who will legitimately be able to anchor an NBA defense.” That is massive for a team that’s been in need of a player like that for a while. Having a lockdown rim protector changes the identity of a team’s defense.

As for Essengue, he didn’t slide too far. His upside still made him a first-round pick, with the Utah Jazz taking him 18th overall to pair with Tre Johnson (since Ace Bailey was off the board).