DALLAS – Nikola Mirotic wasn’t the only Bulls player that should have walked off the floor of the American Airlines Center on Saturday feeling embarrassed.
It’s just that far too often Mirotic seems to be in the front of that line.
Rajon Rondo was shaky in his return to Dallas, Bobby Portis and Cristiano Felicio continued to underwhelm off the bench, but it was Mirotic’s performance that most stood out in the 107-82 blowout loss to the 4-15 Mavericks.
The third-year player continued to battle confidence problems, as well as guarding the opposition, as Mirotic got the starting nod for a resting Dwyane Wade, who didn’t make the trip, and finished 0-for-4 in the scoreless showing, only getting 13 minutes of work. In those 13 minutes of work, he was minus-24 in the plus/minus category.
Yet, coach Fred Hoiberg was still defending Mirotic, as well as the idea of him being a core player moving forward, as the front office labeled the forward numerous times.
“I don’t think so,’’ Hoiberg said, when asked if Mirotic has failed to live up to expectations. “When you have a skill set like Niko has, the ability to shoot and obviously deep range, that’s big. The thing that I’ve been impressed with is his growth in other areas when his shot isn’t falling. He was a huge key to that win [over Cleveland on Friday].
“He made winning plays and his offense wasn’t part of it. He’ll get it going. I’m confident in that. His teammates are confident in that. Six-foot-10 and you have a skill set like that, sure, I think he’s absolutely part of the future.’’
He hasn’t been a part of the present, that’s for sure.
Yes, Mirotic did have several key plays in the win over the Cavaliers, but the stretch-four was advertised as a space-changer on the floor because of his shooting ability when he came over from the EuroLeague.
Over the last five games alone, Mirotic was shooting 27 percent from the field, averaging just five points per game.
“Just make sure he understands that it happens to everybody,’’ guard Jimmy Butler said of trying to keep Mirotic confident. “Make sure he understands that we’re still here with him, he’s still a part of this organization and we need him on this team. But it’s not just Niko. We need everybody.
“If somebody is drifting away it’s our job to pull them back.’’
Butler was right about one thing: It wasn’t just Mirotic against Dallas. After posting a triple-double in the emotional win over Cleveland, Rondo scored just two points and had five turnovers.
The difference is Rondo can let bad games roll off his shoulders. He’s not looking for hugs. Mirotic seems to dwell on bad games and bad moments, and admitted after the loss to the Mavericks that he has to stop over-thinking the game.
“Yeah, that’s true,’’ Mirotic said. “Those guys, Jimmy and those guys, want me to enjoy the game more, they want me to just play my game. My shot right now, I’m a little bit struggling, especially shooting the three, but I just need to find a way to get out of this situation and play my game.
“I’m OK mentally, trust me. It’s not the first time I’ve been in this situation, so I know how to get out of this moment. It’s important for me to have confidence from my teammates, confidence from my coach, and I have that.’’
