On Saturday, the Bulls made official what coach Billy Donovan had said a few days earlier: Surgery was necessary, and the usual recovery time is six to seven months. Essengue injured his shoulder in a G-League game, and although the team initially said it was a concussion, it turned out to be more than that.
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Essengue was the 12th pick in last June’s draft and in the Summer League he showed off his fluid athleticism and potential, but he was also raw (as expected). he was Mostly remembered for being on the wrong side of a meme during his first trip to Las Vegas. The Bulls wanted to deal with this injury now so Essengue has next summer to work on his game (whether he will play in the Summer League remains to be seen).
This season, Essengue played just six minutes total for the Bulls. In four G-League games, Essengue averaged 23 points per game on 50.8% shooting from the field, while also grabbing 8.5 rebounds per game.