Chicago Bulls select Noa Essengue in 2025 NBA Draft

The professional basketball dream has come true for Noa Essengue. With the No. 12 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, the French star power forward was selected by the Chicago Bulls.

The Orléans, Loiret, France native has been primed for the NBA over the past couple of years. While he didn’t make a name for himself during the NCAA Tournament or through playing college basketball in America, make no mistake, Essengue is one of the top prospects available in the 2025 NBA Draft.

At 18-years old, Essengue will be expected to continue to grow and elevate into one of the top players in the NBA. After showcasing his skillset during his time overseas, there’s no reason to think he can’t achieve that goal.

Time will tell what his ceiling is. Regardless, Noa Essengue will have a chance to not just be a good NBA player, but a great one, as he moves to the next level in this journey.

What NBA Draft experts are saying about Noa Essengue

Meanwhile, On3’s resident NBA Draft analyst James Fletcher III took a hard look at Noa Essengue. He’s enthusiastic about his potential, ranking him as a strong No. 17 on his big board.

“Noa Essengue is an analytics darling with his ability to produce defensively in Europe, while getting high-efficiency looks on offense,” Fletcher III wrote. “Currently best suited around the rim, the ability to develop consistency on the perimeter will be a major key to his growth. Big performances late in the season have him on the rise, building even more hope he can unlock his potential.”

Fletcher III is far from the only one grinning at the idea of seeing Essengue in the NBA. RotoWire.com made projections for many of the top prospects, likening him to other high-upside prospects.

“It’s hard to predict what kind of player Essengue will become in the future, because his upside and true value will end up being tied to whether his jumper ever becomes a reliable weapon,” Rotowire.com wrote. “He’s a player with enough tools to be an asset in the right system and has elite defensive potential. If his shooting develops as expected, then he could be compared to someone like Nicolas Batum. If it doesn’t, however, then a more accurate comparison could be Al-Farouq Aminu.”