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 Orl茅ans, Loiret, France native has been primed for the NBA over the past couple of years. While he didn鈥檛 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鈥檚 no reason to think he can鈥檛 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鈥檚 resident NBA Draft analyst James Fletcher III took a hard look at Noa Essengue. He鈥檚 enthusiastic about his potential, ranking him as a strong No. 17 on his big board.
鈥淣oa Essengue is an analytics darling with his ability to produce defensively in Europe, while getting high-efficiency looks on offense,鈥 Fletcher III wrote. 鈥淐urrently 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.鈥
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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 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,鈥 Rotowire.com wrote. 鈥淗e鈥檚 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鈥檛, however, then a more accurate comparison could be Al-Farouq Aminu.鈥