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Rankings: Which Members of the Bulls Have the Most to Prove?

By Jake Barajas

November 20, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg (right) instructs guard Jimmy Butler (21) during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Bulls 106-94. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 20, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg (right) instructs guard Jimmy Butler (21) during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Bulls 106-94. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nikola Mirotic, PF, Chicago Bulls
Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Nikola Mirotic

Expectations were high for Nikola Mirotic after finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting. Quietly, he showed some real improvement in the second half of the year.

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    • Mirotic struggled in the first half before missing a month after undergoing an appendectomy. He did improve his shooting from beyond the arc (up to 35 percent prior to the All-Star break), but he just wasn’t looking comfortable on the floor.

    His play after the All-Star break and recovery from the appendectomy was much improved. The biggest sign of encouragement was in his shooting percentages. In the 22 games he played in the second half of the season, Mirotic shot 45 percent, as well as shooting 45 percent from three. His rebounding numbers did fall a bit in the second half (down from 5.9 to 4.7 RPG), but it was very promising to see Mirotic’s shooting numbers improve so greatly.

    This season, Mirotic will presumably be get another crack at cementing his role as a starter. It’s vital that he doesn’t struggle coming out of the gate similar to last year. The Bulls need his shooting this year more than ever. Mirotic will have to prove that his numbers post All-Star break were not simply a product of a hot shooting stretch. He has to demonstrate that his shooting can be consistently relied upon.

    Next: No. 2

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