Early Lessons from Nikola Mirotic's Preseason with Chicago Bulls

The shadow of Nikola Mirotic hung over the hopes of devoted Chicago Bulls fans for years. As he ascended to the status of arguably the best non-NBA player in the world, and Chicago fans struggled through two straight years without superstar Derrick Rose, Mirotic’s legend grew into a refuge for positive Bulls outlook.

Now, he’s here, and seeing the man behind the myth has enlightened us beyond the scuttlebutt and fleeting YouTube clips we had before. He’s on our TVs now, and while Mirotic’s talent is huge and clear, we’ve also learned that the power forward is not quite ready for heavy NBA minutes—not yet, anyway.

Mirotic dazzled in his debut game in Chicago, against the Washington Wizards. He authoritatively ran the floor with the ball, popping up for easy three-pointers and dribbling to the hoop for deft finishes when the defense rushed him. His defense was shaky, but on offense he looked like someone who’d been doing this for years. He scored 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and five rebounds. It was thrilling.

But consistency is hard in the NBA, where the speed, physicality and complexity of the game take it to a suffocating stratosphere of difficulty.

In Mirotic’s next game—which also made for his first professional back-to-back—he struggled mightily against the Detroit Pistons. Looking suddenly like a frazzled amateur, he turned the ball over five times and fouled out in 14 minutes. He only got one shot off—a miss—and frustrated many fans by passing on a number of open looks.

"

Nikola Mirotic just kind of watching the concept of space float past his continuum as Jennings floats in for a reverse.

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) October 8, 2014"

In the Bulls’ third preseason bout, against the Milwaukee Bucks, Mirotic’s play was again underwhelming, but there were signs of growth. Over 16 minutes, he tallied only two fouls and turned the ball over just once. Clearly, coach Tom Thibodeau had effective instructions about defensive body control and care with the ball. While Mirotic shot just 1-of-7 for two points, he also had three blocks and didn’t let the Bucks get to the line.

That he improved within Thibodeau’s system against Milwaukee is encouraging, as the coach typically only gives playing time to his men who show intense attention to the detail work of a game—staying on a defensive string, strong ball-handling and decision-making.

If Mirotic can combine his good team play with the fireworks he fired against Washington, he’ll be some kind of fantastic. But he’ll have to meet his coach’s demands, first and foremost, to get his time on the court.

As Kirk Hinrich’s second stint in Chicago has taught us, you can shoot about as poorly as possible and still get minutes, so long as you play well within Thibodeau’s mold.

Mirotic seems to be learning his priorities quickly. The task now is to balance the strenuous tasks of Bulls ball with the free-roaming flash we saw in his debut—and then do it again. If he does that, he’ll certainly be a rotation player in short time. But he’s yet to do it even once, so we’re best to stay rational in Mirotic exuberance for now.

But if you got Mirotic fever after the performance against Washington, you’re not alone. Bulls fans have been yearning for dynamic scorers even since Derrick Rose was a healthy MVP—there simply hasn’t been a ton of shooters in Chicago. To see the team’s new forward from Monenegro, by way of Spain, do his best Dirk Nowitzki impression (even if it was only for a half, and even if it was only a preseason game) gave the city a whole new brand of basketball excitement.

It’s not time to buy the man’s jersey yet, but Mirotic’s skills are supreme, and he’s shown a malleability to his warrior-making coach. His process is underway now—he’s made it to the gauntlet-grind of the NBA, and with health and persistence, Mirotic appears to have the tools to become an indispensable part of his squad and perhaps even an NBA star.