Chicago Bulls: Another Future Star In Nikola Mirotic

The Chicago Bulls are loaded with star players at virtually every position and yet their rookie, Nikola Mirotic, is emerging as a key to the team’s future

Before the 2014-15 season, the Chicago Bulls were anointed by many as not only the top contender in the Eastern Conference but as one of the most star-studded teams in the entire league. That was even before Pau Gasol re-emerged as an elite power forward and Jimmy Butler made the leap to NBA stardom.

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Just these two alone have made the Bulls even better than we might have expected and, to top it all off, rookie Nikola Mirotic is proving why he’s a future franchise player.

Before getting to Mirotic though, Gasol and Butler are worthy of some serious praise.

What Pau is doing at 34 years of age is simply remarkable. He was always going to be a key addition to the Bulls due to his ability to score in the post, which has offered a totally different dynamic offensively to what Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson offer, but he’s having one of the best seasons of his career across the board.

Dec 29, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol (16) dribbles the ball as Indiana Pacers forward Lavoy Allen (5) defends at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Bulls won 92-90. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Gasol’s averages of 18.1 points and 11.1 rebounds per game have made him an absolute terror for opponents to deal with, alongside Noah, and this newly formed Bulls frontcourt is quite possibly the best in the league.

Typically, players aren’t at their prime in their mid-30’s, yet Gasol’s rebounding total of 11.5 per 36 minutes and 2.4 blocks per game are career highs. He’s even shooting a career best 82.7 percent from the free throw line. There’s simply no more he could be doing right now, and it’s terrific to watch such a strong break out season from a player who already ‘broke out’ 13 years ago.

Nov 30, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Chicago Bulls shooting guard Jimmy Butler (21) shoots the ball past Brooklyn Nets small forward Joe Johnson (7) during the second quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Butler, on the other hand, is still in the process of stunning pretty much every basketball fan in the world. He’s always been a tenacious and energetic guy in terms of his perimeter defense, but the leap he’s taken offensively is something that no one could have predicted.

He’s not only averaging 8.6 more points than a year ago (now 21.7 per game) in only one extra minute on the floor each night, he’s also doing so at a new found efficiency; shooting seven percent better from behind the arc (35%), seven percent better from the free throw line (83%) and he’s even somehow increased his overall field goal percentage by eight percent as well. That kind of development in one summer just shouldn’t happen.

Jan 5, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) has his shot blocked by Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) during the game at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

Thankfully for Bulls’ fans, however, Jimmy G Buckets has pulled it off.

He’s always excelled defensively (and that block to put James Harden on the floor was amazing) and has been able to use his explosiveness to attack the rim, but his extended range and shooting efficiency is on another level from a year ago. And then some.

Butler has increased his shooting by 16 percent from between 3-10 feet, by nine percent from 10-16 feet and by five percent from 16 feet out. Adding such a massive dynamic to your game in one summer is incredibly difficult, and unless Kobe has a 101 point game or Javale McGee starts averaging 20 blocks a game, then it’s safe to say Butler should run away with the Most Improved Player award.

Now onto that rookie sensation, Nikola Mirotic.

Dec 23, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic (44) is fouled by Washington Wizards center Kevin Seraphin (13) while shooting the ball in the third quarter at Verizon Center. The Bulls won 99-91. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Mirotic has recently been named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for December, and he couldn’t have been more deserving of the first honor in his career. He’s shown flashes of brilliance so far and put that together last month with averages of 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and a three-point field goal percentage of 41.2 percent in just over 20 minutes of playing time each night.

He seems to have made a seamless transition from playing in Europe to joining the NBA, and not just in terms of the way his diverse skill set can be applied, but in terms of his startling athleticism for a 6’10” power forward.

Even though Mirotic is no Blake Griffin, he’s still surprisingly quick on his feet, and he has no problems in using a pump-fake to unbalance his defender and take off to the basket. With plenty of speed in comparison to other skill based power forwards in their prime (Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, etc) Mirotic has the physical tools to create some serious match up problems on offense. He clearly has the length and size too, but his quick feet can make him a lot harder to handle for the league’s slower big men.

The scoring ability he’s already shown, and the potential he’s proven to possess is nothing shy of special. This is obviously rather premature, and I’m not saying he’s as good as the Mavs legend, but there are certain likenesses to Dirk that spring to mind when watching Mirotic play.

From the vast amount of skill he possesses for a big man to the shooting range he’s had from his first game as a Bull (shooting 50% from 16 feet out and 36.5% from deep on the year).

Mirotic has proven he does more than score though, and his well rounded skill set to offer some rim protection and rebounding makes him very reminiscent of his teammate, Paul Gasol.

Despite the inconsistency of his playing time (averaging 18.8 minutes) Mirotic has been able to contribute even more to the Bulls in terms of their dominance on the boards, as he’s been recording 9.8 rebounds per 36 minutes. Chicago is ranked 4th in the league in rebounding, and the addition of Mirotic and Gasol this season, to the already deadly duo of Noah and Gibson, has made this team a force to be reckoned with inside. On offense and defense.

Mirotic’s 1.4 blocks per game is a very solid output, especially for a player primarily recruited for his offensive versatility, ability to stretch the floor and rebounding. He hasn’t backed down from his opponents at either ends of the floor and his confidence and toughness fits perfectly into the gritty style that head coach Tom Thibodeau has always enforced in Chicago.

To neatly sum up Mirotic’s overall impact on the Chicago Bulls, it’s his offensive and defensive ratings that you really can’t ignore. You can see the skill for yourself, and the numbers do nothing other than emphasize how good this guy can be. What a steal being taken only 23rd in the 2011 Draft.

Dec 22, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Tyler Hansbrough (50) is fouled by Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic (44) during the second quarter of a game at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

His offensive rating of 117 and defensive rating of 101 is exceptional, and has been a key factor in giving them a 25-11 record.

To put those numbers into perspective, Mirotic’s offensive rating is currently higher than Stephen Curry’s from last year (116.7), and his defensive rating is the same as Dwight Howard’s from a year ago.

Mirotic may not be someone averaging as many minutes as these two, so a comparison isn’t going to be as fair until he gets more playing time, although this more than proves what he can do on both ends of the floor.

Even though his six 3-pointers in a win against the Grizzlies was nice, it’s the well polished, all-around ability that makes him a potential Rookie of the Year winner.

Mirotic is somewhat of a hidden gem on this Chicago Bulls team with a storied history and a locker room full of all-stars, yet he’s going to be just as key going forward as any of them. With the uncertainty over Derrick Rose’s long term future, the never ending possibility of a blockbuster trade (as we’ve seen this week with the Cleveland), and the sad fact that Gasol can’t play this many minutes forever, Nikola Mirotic is going to emerge as a franchise player sooner or later.

And it doesn’t look like it’s going to be all that long.

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