Last night during a 98-86 win against the Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls rookie Nikola Mirotic went for 28 points and eight rebounds on 10-of-19 shooting — a performance that is becoming increasingly routine for the young forward as of late.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkHCEvfde7Q
It was the kind of outing that Mirotic initially showed potential for in December, when he became everyone’s darkhorse Rooke of the Year contender after racking up nine double-digit point totals in 15 games. Since December however, Mirotic’s minutes began to fluctuate as he was marred by a shooting slump, resulting in a lack of trust from head coach Tom Thibodeau. In the month of February, Mirotic was down to just 14.3 minutes a game, averaging 5.8 points per game on 34 percent shooting.
On March 1 against the L.A. Clippers, Mirotic came off the bench to score 29 points and grab nine rebounds while shooting 11-of-23 from the field. That performance was enough to earn back the trust of Thibodeau, and Mirotic hasn’t looked back.
“I never played like this before,’’ Mirotic recently told reporters after a game against the Detroit Pistons on March 21, when asked about his increased playing time over the final stretch of the season. ‘‘I’m playing in all the games. I’m playing plus-30 minutes, and it’s a great feeling. This is the adjustment for me, too. I’m working hard to stay out there, especially mentally. I know if I’m mentally good, then I can push myself and play good basketball.’’
Since that game on March 1, Mirotic has been averaging 21.0 points and 8.2 rebounds in 31.4 minutes per game. His overall shooting has held steady as well, with Mirotic shooting 42 percent from the field (although his 25 percent three-point percentage is rather dismal.)
Very solid numbers for sure, and Mirotic accomplishes them in seemingly endless ways, such as this:
Or this:
https://vine.co/v/OYlAVLIqaFu
That last shot may be sort of ill-advised, but the point remains. Mirotic can bang in the paint down low, drive off the dribble, hit mid range step-backs, get to the foul line (7.8 attempts per game this month,) score off of pick-and-rolls, and hit threes whenever they’re actually falling. The slow adjustment to the NBA after playing in Spain has been obvious for Mirotic, but it’s also apparent that he is figuring himself out, and learning which of his multiple skills to use most often in this league.
Another reason for Mirotic’s increased minutes is his defensive improvement. During the first half of the season, Mirotic struggled with positioning and just keeping up in general. It also took him some time to understand opponent’s habits and tendencies, and Thibodeau never hesitated to yank him as a result after being torched by someone.
Mirotic now has a far better sense of the league that’s naturally come from experience and playing time, although he’s also devoted a lot of time to film study. As a result, he has a much better feel of what he wants to do on defense, and also has an improved sense of what defenders are trying to do to contain him.
His March average of 1.3 blocks per game is a huge improvement, and he’s managed to grab two steals in several games this month as well. During a win against Toronto on March 20, Mirotic had four blocks in addition to 29 points and 11 rebounds.
“He’s been real aggressive in practice for, like, the last few months,’’ teammate Taj Gibson recently said to the Chicago Sun Times regarding Mirotic’s improving defense. ‘‘We’ve been seeing it for a while, but now everyone gets to see it.’’
Still, with his offensive game on the rise, Mirotic sees the need to focus on the other end of the floor.
‘‘I need to communicate better on defense, I need to trust in my teammates and I’m working hard to especially improve on defense because I know the offense is no problem. . . . I’m working on that, trying to help my teammates, and I think I took a step, but it’s not enough. I need to work more.’’
‘‘I’ve made some changes and made adjustments, but I’m working hard to help the team most of all,’’ Mirotic said.
That hard work has paid off with Mirotic finally landing a spot in the Bulls’ main rotation, and he should continue to put up the numbers he’s posted this month for the rest of the season and into the playoffs.
