1. Mirotic has adjusted to the defensive game-plan put forth by Thibodeau at a much faster and more efficient rate than McDermott.
The best way for a Chicago Bull’s rookie to earn playing time is by proving their competence on the defensive side of the ball. During the preseason, it appeared that neither rookie would fulfill this standard. Although the effort was clearly there on the part of both players, neither had completely learned the convoluted defensive system yet and appeared lost while they were out there playing. Since then, the two players have diverged in opposite directions in regards to progress on the defensive side of the ball. Nikola has slowly begun to pick up the defensive system and understand his role in the grand scheme of the defense. It also helps that Mirotic has more raw athleticism and talent than McDermott which has made him look like a stand-out defender in stretches this year. Mirotic has been a surprisingly prolific shot blocker. He has 18 total blocks this season which is only 4 less than Taj Gibson and 7 less than Joakim Noah. In addition, Mirotic is a tough player (which historically has been uncharacteristic of Euro-league players) that comes up with rebounds in traffic and can defend relatively well in the post. He doesn’t get pushed around and has nice size (6 feet 10 inches) for a stretch big men. McDermott, on the other hand, doesn’t possess the same intangible toughness and athleticism which has allow Mirotic to be so successful this season. Mirotic has trouble chasing opposing guards around the court and frequently gets caught up in screens which allows for open shots. He isn’t the quickest guy in the world, and frequently gets beat off of the dribble which leads to the defense having to collapse in order to compensate for McDermott’s missed assignment. All of these reasons explain why Mirotic has been given an opportunity to play while McDermott has not.
2. Mirotic’s minutes have been largely opportunistic. There have been a lot of injuries to big men on the Chicago Bull’s which have elevated the minutes totals for the young European.
To illustrate my point here, lets briefly look at the injury story for players ahead of Mirotic and McDermott on the depth chart.