Chicago Bulls first-round draft pick Noa Essengue out for the season with a shoulder injury

The Chicago Bulls must wait another year to begin the development of their latest draft pick.

Rookie Noa Essengue will be out for the rest of the season as the team prepares its No. 12 draft pick for left shoulder surgery, which will take place in the coming weeks. Coach Billy Donovan announced the news ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets.

The decision was ultimately made by Essengue, who faced a difficult deliberation for any 18-year-old — continue facing delays throughout his rookie season or accept the realities of surgery and a season-long recovery. Essengue had been working through shoulder discomfort for the first 20 games of the regular season.

Essengue never suffered a full dislocation, but Donovan said the injury created looseness and instability in the rookie’s shoulder. Although the forward could have continued to play through the injury, every reaggravation would have required a seven- to 10-day shutdown period, creating a staccato rhythm in his rookie season. The team’s medical staff ultimately recommended shoulder surgery to guarantee a full return to play after a six- to seven-month recovery window.

The Bulls viewed Essengue as a long-term investment when they drafted him this summer. At 18, expectations for his debut year were low. The forward played only six minutes for the Bulls before the season-ending injury. He had yet to score his first NBA points. That fit with the team’s overall plan to play Essengue sparingly with the senior team, giving him the bulk of his minutes at the G League level.

“The setback to me in it all is the fact that you’d like for a guy like that — whether it was limited minutes for us or good minutes with the G League — to play,” Donovan said. “I think a young player, when you’re taking away the playing, that’s never great. We’ve just got to figure out what we can do to help him with his body, footwork, things that we had talked about since he’s been here.”

Essengue had another crucial task this season: bulk up. He weighs only 200 pounds despite standing at 6-foot-8 and visibly still needs to grow into his frame. Donovan previously hoped this season would serve as a foundation for Essengue to build strength through diet and weightlifting. But that won’t be possible — at least for the next two months.

Donovan said the team anticipates a six-week full shutdown for Essengue after his surgery, which still has not been scheduled. After that period, he will be able to slowly return to activity, but his ability to lift weights with his upper body will be severely limited for several months.

This means the Bulls will need to be creative with how they approach the rest of Essengue’s season. It will be highly structured for Essengue, particularly during his initial recovery period when he can’t travel with the team. Donovan also wants teammate Ayo Dosunmu — who underwent surgery last season to repair a fracture in his left shoulder — to advise the rookie throughout this process.

“The days can become very, very long and monotonous,” Donovan said. “He just can’t waste days, so to speak. We’ve got to do a job with the staff — watching film with him, showing him different things, weight room, the medical guys will do their rehab and their strengthening.”

This is only the latest blow for the Bulls, who entered Wednesday’s game short-handed again with six total players on the injury report: Zach Collins (left wrist surgery), Kevin Huerter (groin), Isaac Okoro (back), Jalen Smith (left hamstring) and Coby White (left calf) in addition to Essengue.