An NBA Christmas Cracker: The NBA Highlights Of 2014

9 of 14

The Other Nikola: The Big Man a Few People Are Talking About

It’s not often a player can be described as having Dirk Nowitzki-like potential, but that truly is the case for Chicago Bulls rookie Nikola Mirotic. And not just because he’s from Europe.

The 6’10” power forward from Montenegro is incredibly agile for his size and is surprisingly quick moving around the court on offense. With a great midrange game, the ability to take to the basket when given the chance, and with the Dirk-esque ability to make 40 percent of his three-point attempts, it’s clear that Mirotic is a highly skilled big man. Add in the fact that he can rebound and help protect the rim as well, it’s really no surprise he’s averaging 8.3 points on 45 percent shooting, 5.2 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game in his 19 minutes of action each night.

All of that rare skill made him a vital factor in the Bulls’ 103-97 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, and means he can do things like this:

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