Chicago Bulls: Nikola Mirotic Hopes To Finish 2016-17 Season On A High Note
Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic looks to finish an inconsistent season on a high note.
On the heels of a 2015-16 campaign in which he averaged 11.8 points per outing, Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic was hoping his success would continue in Year 3.
However, this season has not been what Mirotic and the Bulls were hoping for. Yes, Mirotic has shown flashes of potential. The problem is he has struggled with producing solid performances over an extended period of time.
And because of that glaring trend, Mirotic has accumulated a number of DNP-CDs during the 2016-17 season — 12 in all, to be exact.
This includes a stretch of three consecutive games this month in which he sat out games against the Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets and the Boston Celtics. This move appeared to signal the beginning of the end for Mirotic, who willingly admitted that it was frustrating being taken out of the rotation.
"“It’s a very good question,” Mirotic told ESPN. “It is hard. It is very hard. There’s not too many things I can do right now. It looks like it’s not up to me. It’s up to Coach. I’ve always been a good teammate, always [been] professional, so I’m going to stay in that way. Do my work and wait.”"
But just when it looked like Mirotic would spend the remainder of the season watching games from the bench, an unexpected opportunity presented itself at just the right time, giving Mirotic yet another chance to prove his worth to a Bulls organization that was counting on him to take the next step this season.
The aforementioned opportunity occurred when Dwyane Wade sustained an elbow injury against the Memphis Grizzlies on Mar 15. As a result of that injury, Wade will be forced to miss the remainder of the regular season, thus paving the way for Mirotic’s re-emergence into the rotation.
At least for the time being, Mirotic has made the most of that opportunity. In the Bulls’ last two outings against the Detroit Pistons and the Philadelphia 76ers, he scored 28 and 15 points, respectively.
I know what you may be thinking: Two games is hardly anything to get overly excited about, right?
Well, perhaps the next statement may sway your opinion somewhat. Over the past seven games, Mirotic is averaging 15.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game on 49 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from three-point range.
And while Mirotic doesn’t quite fill the void created by Wade’s absence, he certainly has provided Jimmy Butler with another scoring option.
"“We try to get Niko going because whenever he’s making shots from the outside, it’s making everybody’s job easier,” Butler said, via the Chicago Tribune. “You can’t leave him. We need him to keep taking and hopefully making those shots.”"
Furthermore, Mirotic’s value to the Bulls goes beyond this recent stretch of games. In Chicago’s wins, he is averaging 11.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest on shooting splits of .458/.354/.765.
Conversely, in their losses, he is averaging 8.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per outing on slash lines of .336/.280/.750. Taking those numbers into consideration, it is safe to say that the Bulls are a better team when Mirotic is able to stretch the floor in Fred Hoiberg‘s offense.
Although Mirotic has been pulled out of the rotation on multiple occasions this season, he has responded with solid play each time, and his scoring average over the recent stretch of games is the second-best on the team behind Butler.
Whether Mirotic is capable of playing at a high level for the remaining nine games is anyone’s guess right now. However, if that is the case, the Bulls still have a chance (albeit slim) to nab the conference’s final playoff berth.
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Even more important, the front office may be open to bringing him back next season — something that didn’t seem plausible just a few weeks ago.