From sitting atop the Eastern Conference to suddenly plummeting into obscurity and dropping out of the play-in positions in a matter of days. The Chicago Bulls’ season has been a true roller coaster.
After opening the campaign at full speed, Billy Donovan’s team has deflated to the point of falling below .500, offering increasingly concerning signs and once again finding themselves stuck in no man’s land.
Almost nothing remains of that strong start. Persistent injuries across the rotation and a lackluster defensive effort have triggered a full-blown crisis in both performance and results.
After opening the year with a respectable 6–1 record, the Bulls have gone just 3–11 since then, sitting at 9 wins and 12 losses overall.
During that stretch, Chicago has dealt with numerous injuries that have depleted the rotation, including those to Isaac Okoro, Jalen Smith, Dalen Terry, Julian Phillips, Tre Jones, and now Kevin Huerter — all of whom have missed time.
Added to that list are center Zach Collins, who is close to returning, and Coby White, who, despite making it back from a preseason injury, continues to struggle with lingering muscle issues.
And now comes another major blow: the season-ending loss of one of their top young prospects. Rookie Noa Essengue, selected 12th overall in the NBA Draft, has seen his development halted abruptly.
Billy Donovan announced that the 18-year-old French power forward will miss the remainder of the season due to a left-shoulder injury that will require surgery. Early evaluations estimate a recovery timeline of roughly 6–7 months.
According to reports out of the United States, Essengue suffered the injury during a game with the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s G League affiliate, where he had been performing well and preparing for a gradual integration into Donovan’s rotation later this year.
News of Essengue’s injury broke just minutes before the Bulls suffered yet another defeat — their fifth in a row — falling 113–103 to Jordi Fernández’s Brooklyn Nets. With that loss, and Milwaukee’s win over Detroit, Donovan’s team has slipped to 11th place in the East, ahead of only Charlotte, Brooklyn, Indiana, and Washington.