Mirotic a classic stretch 4 … with some health concerns
Nikola Mirotic arrived in the NBA after a long, successful run with Real Madrid on the Spanish ACB and Euroleague scene and his arrival couldn’t have come at a better time.
A 6-foot-10 power forward with legitimate shooting skills, Mirotic arrived just in time for the 3-pointer to dominate the NBA landscape and he’s fit right in to the frenzy, hitting 35.9 percent on 5.4 attempts per game from deep in his five NBA seasons.
At 250 pounds, Mirotic probably isn’t as good a rebounder as he should be, but he’s got quick feet defensively and averaged 15.2 points per game this season between the New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks.
The problem with Mirotic has been health. He missed 27 games in 2017-18 and 36 this season with a variety of ailments, including a fractured left thumb that sidelined him for the end of the regular season after the Bucks acquired him at the trade deadline.
That led to a reduced role in the first round of the playoffs for Mirotic, who was 6-for-16 from deep in Milwaukee’s four-game sweep of the Detroit Pistons, while averaging 15 minutes per game.
He was one of the few bright spots from Sunday’s Game 1 loss to the Boston Celtics to open the Eastern Conference Semifinals, knocking down 3-of-4 from deep and scoring 13 points in 21 minutes.
But, much like Tobias Harris and Julius Randle, Mirotic would add size and shooting to the 4 spot, elements that could very much help the Brooklyn Nets reach a new level.