McCaffrey: Mirotic Shines Late For Bulls
By Brendan McCaffrey-
(CBS) Bulls rookie forward Nikola Mirotic continues to find ways to boost a sometimes-challenged second unit. On Saturday night at Minnesota, Mirotic went for 12 points and eight rebounds in Chicago's 106-105 victory. On Tuesday night at the United Center, Mirotic helped jump-start a stalled Bulls offense in a variety of ways against a feisty Orlando Magic squad in the Bulls' 98-90 victory.
The stagnant Bulls offense, minus Derrick Rose for the second straight game due to injury, accounted for only six points in the first eight minutes of the thirdquarter. At times it seemed the Bulls and Magic tried to out-do one another with third-quarter ineffectiveness. With 3:53 left in the frame, Mirotic replaced Taj Gibson and went to work on offense, immediately taking Magic defenders off the dribble to create plays, including a beautiful dish to Pau Gasol for a dunk.
In the fourth quarter, Mirotic shot confidently, burying two 3-pointers to help Chicago pull away late. He finished with eight points -- all in the fourth quarter -- and added six rebounds and four assists, showing an ability to put the ball on the floor that few big men can match.
"I thought our bench guys were terrific," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said after his reserves outscored the Magic's, 37-19.
They needed to be for the Bulls to beat the winless Magic. Fellow rookie Doug McDermott chipped in with 12 points, all in the first half, including a dunk off a great pass from Mirotic.
"I love them both," Thibodeau said of his rookies. "You can't do any more than they're doing. The thing that's great about them is that they come in every day with a ton of energy, ready to concentrate and work and prepare themselves to play."
As Thibodeau himself mentioned in his postgame comments, Mirotic still has some work to do to improve. There were lapses on defense, including two terrible fouls in transition. Still, the benefits of a 6-foot-10 forward who can shoot over smaller defenders and drive past big ones gives the Bulls possibly one more playmaker besides Aaron Brooks on the second unit.
"I just want him to play," Thibodeau said. "He's a good basketball player, and I don't want him to overthink things. He's very good. I've watched enough of his games over the summer to know that he reads closeouts well, he knows when he should shoot, he knows when he should pass."
With Joakim Noah still recovering from the flu and Pau Gasol having played more than 40 minutes Tuesday, Mirotic should get his chances as the Bulls play three games in the next four nights.
Mirotic even played well enough to get Thibodeau to unleash his awkward smile when praising his rookies.
"I'm happy for (their) success," Thibodeau said. "They are only going to continue to get better and help us win more games."
Brendan McCaffrey is the sports director at 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @b_mccaffrey.
