Nikola Mirotic has quickly developed into one of the Bulls’ key players
Everything just kind of fell into place with the firing of Tom Thibodeau and the hiring of Fred Hoiberg, who is the perfect coach to spur the development of one of the best young players in the league, Nikola Mirotic. The rise of Hoiberg and Mirotic will be talked about for the next several years as the Bulls continue to contend for Eastern Conference supremacy. But how did we get to this point with Mirotic?
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The Chicago Bulls traded for his rights in the 2011 draft, which saw him selected 23rd overall. This was all while knowing he would spend the next three years in Europe refining his skill set. Taking “Miro” was a huge risk as he was well known for his shooting prowess but not for his ability to keep up with the incredible athleticism of the NBA.
Mirotic starred for Real Madrid for the next several years and eventually worked out a buyout of his contract just in time for the 2014-2015 season. Early on he didn’t end up on the hardwood much but when he finally made his debut, it was well worth the wait. The few daily fantasy sports fans may have sensed what was to come but no one could have have foreseen such a seamless transition to the speed of the NBA game.
He dominated March 2015, becoming the league’s top fourth quarter scorer during that time. Andrew Wiggins took rookie of the year, but a lot of people thought Mirotic should have won the award. During that magical month of March, he averaged 20.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, 47% from the field and 46% from three-point range.
Still, Coach Thibodeau didn’t commit to him early on, instead electing to start Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson while Mirotic was the first or second player off the bench. In the playoffs, he only averaged 5.7 points, which infuriated daily fantasy basketball players everywhere who profited every time he stepped foot on the hardwood.
Strength and athletic ability were big question marks when scouting Mirotic during the 2011 NBA draft. This has all been put to rest with his lightening-fast first step. This gives him an ability to get to the rim with ease as well as stay in front of bigger, stronger and faster players than himself. He’s also developed an ability to switch onto small guards in pick-and-roll situations.
Now with Coach Thibodeau gone and Fred Hoidberg in, Mirotic has been thrust into the starting lineup given every opportunity to shine in a scheme that suits his skill set.
This plays perfectly to his strengths as he’s a stretch four who is draining threes at 46% and averaging 18.8 points and 6.8 rebounds to start to 2015-2016 season. He has the green light to work around the perimeter, too.
His signature head fake has become an integral part of his early success, combined with his incredible first step whenever he needs to get to the rim. Hoiberg and Mirotic is the best thing to happen to the Chicago Bulls in the last several years. It also helps that he has chemistry with Pau Gasol, who he played with on the Spanish National team where they qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
This isn’t Derrick Rose’s team anymore. When that changed is up for debate, but the Bulls are averaging 106 points per every 100 possessions with Mirotic on the floor. Mirotic has also become the first Bulls’ player to make at least three treys in the first four games of a season while also draining 90% of his free throws and averaging five per game.
What about when he’s not on the court? 82.3 points per 100 possessions. The Bulls’ entire approach has changed on both ends of the floor. In the earliest part of the 2015-2016 NBA season, Mirotic is the story, and it will be exciting to see how he develops with the likes of Jimmy Butler and Gasol as they jockey for control of the Eastern Conference!
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Arash Ghaemi is a correspondent at FantasyPros. You can also find his work at DraftShot.com and follow him @DraftshotAsh.
