The Chicago Bulls have had one roller coaster of a regular season, but it will all come to a close soon. Then the playoffs will be upon us. How will the Bulls fare at that time? A lot of it will depend on a former MVP winner and a Rookie of the Year candidate.
Nikola Mirotic and Derrick Rose may not look like they have a lot in common, but the teammates could be the key for Chicago having playoff success.
Their games are vastly different. Rose thrives in the fast break and loves collapsing defenses in the half court to kick the ball out, but he struggles at times with his 3-point shot and has little to no post up game. Mirotic, on the other hand, has a sweet stroke from outside and is an underrated defender; his post up skills are advanced for a player so young, and he has a great sense of when to keep the ball and when to give it up.
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These two have barely played with each other this season because of a couple reasons. Mirotic was still earning his teammates’ and Tom Thibodeau’s trust in the early part of the year, and Rose was out due to surgery when the big man started to go on his scoring tear. They are starting to develop a rapport though, so do not be surprised if you see them on the floor together more often during the postseason. Rose had an interesting message for Mirotic after the Bulls’ latest win.
“With Niko on the floor, it’s like another dimension,” Rose said to ESPN. “Because of the way he spaced the floor. I hate when he hesitates, hate when he hesitates, but I think he’ll grow out of it.”
Mirotic scored a team-high 26 points in their 113-86 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, and his 6-for-11 performance from beyond the arc showed how he can be the yin to Rose’s yang of driving to the hoop.
Derrick had a decent game on Monday as well and finished with 13 points and seven assists in his third game back from surgery. Rose’s return, Mirotic’s shooting, Pau Gasol‘s constant double-doubles and Jimmy Butler playing the best basketball of his career all give the Bulls more offensive production than we have seen in Thibodeau’s time in Chicago.
Well, here we are folks. One game away from the playoffs, and the Bulls will face a tough road no matter who they face in the first round. Now we will have to see if they can blend the talents of Rose and Mirotic into an offensive juggernaut and wreak havoc on the Eastern Conference.
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