Bulls' Nikola Mirotic: Will compete for starting gig at power forward

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said Tuesday that Mirotic (knee) received a look with the team's starting unit during their first training camp practice, ESPN.com's Nick Friedell reports.

Analysis:

With Robin Lopez entrenched as the starting center, only the power forward spot is up for grabs during training camp. Along with Mirotic, Taj Gibson and Bobby Portis also saw time with the top unit at Tuesday's practice, suggesting that all three will be seriously considered for the role. Mirotic and Portis both probably make for more enticing draft targets than the elder Gibson, whose strong defense and rebounding brings value from a real-life perspective, but not so much in the fantasy realm. Through two seasons in the NBA, Mirotic hasn't broken out to the extent some may have expected after coming over from Spain, but he still averaged 11.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 three-pointers, 1.5 assists and 0.9 steals in 24.9 minutes per game in 2015-16. With Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah having departed elsewhere in free agency, more minutes should be available for Mirotic regardless of whether he starts or not, making him a viable mid-round target in most formats.