Bulls' Noa Essengue says he is ahead of schedule from shoulder injury

Chicago Bulls rookie forward Noa Essengue said Monday that he is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation from a season-ending left shoulder injury. Essengue underwent surgery in December after suffering the injury while playing with the Windy City Bulls in the G League. He was cleared this month by the team medical staff for individual on-court drills and other related training, including some weightlifting and shooting.

The 19-year-old said his next goal is to resume training with the team by the end of April, according to Maxime Aubin of French newspaper L'Équipe. He appears to be on track to play with the Bulls in the NBA Summer League July 9-19 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Des nouvelles de Noa Essengue, que j’ai vu à San Antonio hier soir : Le rookie français des Bulls (19 ans) s’est bien remis de son opération à l’épaule en décembre.

Il a repris l’entraînement individuel avec contact il y a trois semaines, et devrait reprendre l’entraînement… — Maxime Aubin (@MaximeAubin1) March 31, 2026 Essengue was the 12th pick in the 2025 NBA draft after averaging 10. 7 points, five rebounds and 1. 2 assists with ratiopharm Ulm in the German League.

He registered seven 20-point games, including a 22-point, 14-rebound performance on June 1. The Frenchman was out of the rotation this season, totaling only six minutes across two appearances for coach Billy Donovan. He played four games with Windy City, averaging 23 points, 8.