Nikola Mirotic

[beastee]

Is it time he starts soon?
Last 5 games: 22.5 pts 9rebs, 2.5 assists, 2 blks and 1 steal a game - last three games at 27, 25 & 29.
While his shooting % is only around 45%, he is shooting 87% at the line and getting there at a nice rate.

Only concern is that he probably won't knock out Gasol at the 4...do you start squeezing him at the 3 against less athletic SF's? Dude is flat out balling for a rookie.

[IncarceratedBob]

Time to stop playing Gasol. He's not the future so at this point what's the purpose of playing him. Mirotic is basically a white Carmelo who plays defense.

[bdreason]

He should start along side Noah, with Gasol and Gibson off the bench. Run a deep rotation with all 4 guys getting 25-30 minutes per game, depending on matchups and who is playing well.

[navy]

Is it time he starts soon?
Last 5 games: 22.5 pts 9rebs, 2.5 assists, 2 blks and 1 steal a game - last three games at 27, 25 & 29.
While his shooting % is only around 45%, he is shooting 87% at the line and getting there at a nice rate.

Only concern is that he probably won't knock out Gasol at the 4...do you start squeezing him at the 3 against less athletic SF's? Dude is flat out balling for a rookie.
He's 24.

Anyways yes, time to start him. Put Gasol on the bench. However im not sure if that will hurt the bulls already struggling defense.

[TheMilkyBarKid]

Bulls big man rotation is actually ridiculous when healthy.

[SwishSquared]

Pau vs. Mirotic defensively post ASB according to player tracking data:
http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/202703/tracking/defense/?SeasonSegment=Post%20All-Star
http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/2200/tracking/defense/?SeasonSegment=Post%20All-Star

If you don't click the links, Mirotic's defense in that ranking has been better than Pau's. Also, according to lineup data, the Bulls' five best 5 man lineups, according to net rating, that have played post ASB (min 3 games) all have Mirotic at PF. The sixth best lineup is a massive one with Nikola, Pau, & Jo all in the game.

http://stats.nba.com/team/#!/1610612741/lineups/advanced/?PlusMinus=Y&PaceAdjust=Y&SeasonSegment=Post%20All-Star&sort=NET_RATING&dir=1&CF=GP*GE*3

He needs a minutes increase. He's been awesome. Always had confidence he'd establish himself by year's end. He's a joy to watch with his energy, too.

[dontgetchoked]

He's 24.

Anyways yes, time to start him. Put Gasol on the bench. However im not sure if that will hurt the bulls already struggling defense.
Niko's defense is better than pau's. I love pau, but im pretty sure he's a part of why our defense has been so bad. He'll block a couple shots, but he is so damn slow he lets a bunch of people get a free lane to the hoop. He seems better than before the allstar break, but yeah, still pretty bad.

Niko is quicker than pau so he can at least get in people's way in the paint, he blocks shots, and he has quick hands and can get steals from other bigs.

[John Tesh]

He definitely is deserving.