{"id":160588,"date":"2025-07-10T11:25:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T11:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/160588\/"},"modified":"2025-07-10T11:25:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T11:25:12","slug":"what-chicago-bulls-need-to-answer-in-nba-summer-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/160588\/","title":{"rendered":"What Chicago Bulls need to answer in NBA Summer League"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the depths of the offseason, the NBA Summer League breathes some life back into the professional men\u2019s basketball calendar with an 11-day sojourn to Las Vegas for a glimpse at the league\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

For the Chicago Bulls, the exhibition tournament is a crucial part of this year\u2019s calendar ahead of a transitional season that will refocus the roster on its youngest players. The Bulls need to assess the status of their young talent this summer, particularly the readiness of rookie Noa Essengue<\/a> and the progress of second-year forward Matas Buzelis.<\/p>\n

Summer league also provides a chance for bubble players<\/a> to muscle their way into two-way contracts or even NBA playing time.<\/p>\n

Here are four questions the Bulls hope to answer in Las Vegas, beginning with their opening game Friday against the Toronto Raptors.<\/p>\n

1. What comes next for Noa Essengue?<\/p>\n

The Bulls still are setting expectations for Essengue \u2014 including which position they expect him to play.<\/p>\n

At a lanky 6-foot-9, Essengue is more of a wing than a center. But the Bulls plan to lean further this season into a positionless, small-ball style that emphasizes speed over size, which could ask Essengue to play the four or five. For his part, the rookie said he\u2019s open to playing any position as long as he\u2019s on the court.<\/p>\n

The Bulls will experiment in summer league with different rotations that have Essengue playing both frontcourt positions to maximize his length and ability to pressure the rim on offense. On defense, he\u2019ll be challenged to switch heavily, utilizing his length and quickness to slide up and down the position chart.<\/p>\n

The Bulls already know Essengue is fearless running the open court, providing a transition threat that appeals to their up-tempo offensive style. But his success in summer league will be judged on less flashy traits \u2014 screening in the pick-and-roll, decisively attacking close-outs, ballhandling under pressure.<\/p>\n

Essengue\u2019s shot also will be a focus throughout his rookie season. He began putting in extra sessions with the player development staff upon arrival in Chicago. While he shouldn\u2019t be expected to make any major changes before the team arrives in Las Vegas, Essengue\u2019s summer league performances will provide a benchmark for his shooting.<\/p>\n

Chicago Bulls rookie Noa Essengue weighs in on the Michael Jordan GOAT debate: \u2018Basketball changed with MJ\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

2. How has Matas Buzelis grown since Year 1?
\n\"BullsBulls forward Matas Buzelis practices at the Advocate Center on Monday, July 7, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

Although he will play one or two games in summer league, Buzelis won\u2019t be the central focus of the tournament for the Bulls \u2014 the front office saw plenty of him during his rookie season after he won the starting power forward job in February. But those outings in Las Vegas will give coaches and fans alike an opportunity to see how Buzelis has expanded his game in the three months since the season ended.<\/p>\n

Building strength was an offseason priority for Buzelis. The Bulls don\u2019t want him to get too bulky \u2014 his wiry frame is the source of the grace and explosiveness that defines his style of play \u2014 but increasing core strength will be instrumental to his ability to defend larger bigs.<\/p>\n

Buzelis said he also focused on off-the-dribble 3-point shooting and transition ballhandling during his offseason training sessions. Although based at home in Chicago over the summer, Buzelis also spent time last month in Los Angeles with teammates Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White and Josh Giddey.<\/p>\n

The goal for Buzelis in summer league is to simply outclass the competition. Although he will be going up against a handful of top rookies, his extensive playing time last season should prepare him to overmatch the majority of the players participating in summer league. The Bulls also will be keen to see how Buzelis plays alongside Essengue<\/a> as the two acclimate to being teammates.<\/p>\n

3. Is Lachlan Olbrich on track for the G League or NBA?
\n\"BullsBulls forward Lachlan Olbrich during media availability after practice at the Advocate Center on Wednesday, July 8, 2025. (Audrey Richardson\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

Summer league is the first opportunity for the Australian forward\/center<\/a> to make a case for himself after the Bulls drafted him with the 55th pick<\/a> last month. Olbrich signed a two-way deal with the Bulls this week, which means he isn\u2019t fighting for a roster spot in summer league \u2014 but that doesn\u2019t lower the stakes.<\/p>\n

Second-round picks have been a mixed bag for the current Bulls front office. Julian Phillips (2023) and Ayo Dosunmu (2021) were the Bulls\u2019 sole selections in their respective draft years and went on to become regular rotation players and occasional starters. In contrast, 2020 second-rounder Marko Simonovi\u0107 logged only 55 minutes for the Bulls while playing almost exclusively for Windy City before he was waived in 2023.<\/p>\n

Olbrich doesn\u2019t fit the standard style of forward the Bulls prefer<\/a> \u2014 he\u2019s a bruising big man whose greatest strength is a relentless motor for the ball \u2014 but that could add to the versatility the Bulls keep emphasizing<\/a>. To earn NBA minutes, he\u2019ll first need to prove he can keep up with the relentless pace of the Bulls offense and reliably defend in switches and mismatches.<\/p>\n

4. Can Yuki Kawamura earn another two-way contract?
\n\"BullsBulls guard Yuki Kawamura practices at the Advocate Center on Monday, July 7, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

The 5-foot-8 point guard stands out on any professional basketball court. After going undrafted in 2023, Kawamura made a strong enough impression last summer at the Paris Olympics \u2014 where he averaged 20.3 points and 7.7 assists for Japan \u2014 to earn a training camp invitation from the Memphis Grizzlies, eventually landing a two-way deal. Although he played fewer than 100 minutes for the Grizzlies, Kawamura drew consistent fan attention as the shortest player in the NBA.<\/p>\n

The issue for Kawamura isn\u2019t skill \u2014 he was named MVP of Japan\u2019s top league in 2023 and averaged 7.8 assists in the G League last season \u2014 but his steep size disadvantage always will be a factor in his ability to make an impact in the NBA. His ability to outplay his size in summer league may inform whether he can land another two-way deal this season, either in Chicago or elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Bulls summer league schedule<\/p>\n

Friday: vs. Raptors, Cox Pavilion, 7 p.m., NBA TV
\nSaturday: vs. Kings, Cox Pavilion, 7 p.m., NBA TV
\nMonday: vs. Pacers, Cox Pavilion, 5 p.m., ESPNU
\nWednesday: vs. Bucks, Thomas & Mack Center, 4:30 p.m., ESPN2
\nJuly 18-20: TBD<\/p>\n

Bulls summer league roster<\/p>\n

00 Javon Freeman-Liberty, G, 6-4
\n8 Josh Primo, G, 6-4
\n14 Matas Buzelis, F, 6-9
\n16 William Hickey, G, 6-5
\n17 Jahmir Young, G, 6-2
\n18 Micah Parrish, F, 6-6
\n20 Emanuel Miller, F, 6-7
\n24 Noa Essengue, F, 6-9
\n27 David Muoka, C\/F, 6-10
\n31 Caleb Grill, G, 6-3
\n37 Yuki Kawamura, G, 5-8
\n45 Maozinha Pereira, F, 6-8
\n47 Lachlan Olbrich, F\/C, 6-10
\n55 Wooga Poplar, G, 6-5<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the depths of the offseason, the NBA Summer League breathes some life back into the professional men\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":160589,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3771],"tags":[7,920,919,329,3824,5597,5940,973,6,12,3494,2282,25724,8032],"class_list":{"0":"post-160588","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-bulls","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-bulls","10":"tag-chicago","11":"tag-chicago-bulls","12":"tag-chicagobulls","13":"tag-g-league","14":"tag-lachlan-olbrich","15":"tag-matas-buzelis","16":"tag-nba","17":"tag-nba-draft","18":"tag-nba-summer-league","19":"tag-noa-essengue","20":"tag-windy-city-bulls","21":"tag-yuki-kawamura"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/114828694364918656","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160588"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160588\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}