VIDEO: Nikola Mirotic shines in preseason debut; Rose looks good in short minutes
You had us at "pull up three in transition."
When the Chicago Bulls brought Nikola Mirotic over to the NBA this summer after several seasons of speculation, it was clear they had bolstered their frontcourt in a meaningful way.
On Monday, the theoretical became the practical, with Mirotic finally suiting up for the Bulls, three years after being drafted. He was, in a word, impressive. In more words, he was really, really impressive.
Mirotic flashed an array of skills, shooting 5-of-9 from the floor and 3-of-5 on threes for 17 points. Those baskets included a wing three off the bounce, an off-bounce three on a hand-off decoy, and a pull up in transition after he drove the ball up the floor. He also fought hard for five rebounds, banging with the Washington Wizards, and added a pair of steals and a block for good measure.
Oh, and there was the driving, pull-up bank shot with one leg extended, shades of a less-refined Dirk Nowitzki. All in all, it was a good night:
As with all things Bulls, most eyes were on Derrick Rose - as they will be until he's shown he's all the way back from his torn meniscus. Forget the FIBA World Cup, this was his first action for the Bulls.
The returns were promising. While he played just 14 minutes as head coach Tom Thibodeau slowly builds his workload up, Rose scored 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, adding four rebounds and an assist:
Rose was not available to the media following the game, but Thibodeau said he "thought Derrick played well" and "had great rhythm."