L’Hospitalet 2009: Mirotic Makes History
January 8, 2009
In case he wasn’t impressive enough in last year’s edition, Mirotic made history in the tournament, becoming the first player ever to win back-to-back MVP awards and setting an all-time record 84 efficiency points in a single game.
You’ve read correctly, 84 points of evaluation, distributed in 35 points, 23 rebounds, 2 assists, 9 steals and 6 blocked shots. It happened during the final day against FMP Zeleznik. Unfortunately, it was a consolation game played in another facility while the main arena was hosting a semifinal, so there are virtually no witnesses besides his agent, officials and the crew from both teams.
However, there are doubts about the reality of his stats, and indeed the organization itself distributed a press release voicing them. For starters, while the box-score shows a perfect field-goal line, the player himself remembers to have missed a few shots or to have been blocked once. The steals figure is also extremely doubtful, since he gets credit for the team’s whole amount (almost an unheard of fact) while his agent admits that Nikola might have been awarded with some steals where he just tipped the ball but didn’t secure it.
Still, it’s an unbelievable statistical effort, perhaps possible given the fact that Mirotic played mostly near the basket, using his impressive footwork, feel for the game and ability to finish around the basket (noticeably improved when we talk about his left hand), to score with high-percentage shots.
Indeed we missed some more perimeter and face-up game. We didn’t witness any shots after a pump fake and a dribble, which was a very common feature in his repertoire. He wasn’t also particularly prodigal putting the ball on the floor, especially compared to last year. Mirotic is not what you would call an athletic or explosive player, and often struggles taking his man off the dribble, but it would be wise to keep working on his entire game, because he’s not that tall in order to focus only (or mainly) on his post skills.
While his weakest spot was again his defense (he just doesn’t put that much effort there), Mirotic impressed with his terrific hands and nose for rebounds. Also notable was his passing game or his ability to block shots, especially given the fact that he’s not a leaper. It’s just about positioning, length and timing.
All in all, even if he’s not a top NBA prospect given his lack of athleticism, he’s an incredibly skilled guy with a superb feel for the game and intelligence to get the job done.
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Euroleague Final Four: Nike International Junior Tournament
May 11, 2008
Mirotic came to the Nike IJT bearing some very high expectations after his outstanding showing last January in the prestigious L’Hospitalet Tournament. And while he wasn’t quite able to live up to them, he wasn’t a disappointment either.
Mirotic again showed his excellent ability to operate facing the basket, mostly to put the ball on the floor with his dominant left hand, knock down 3-pointers, and shoot turn-around jumpers. He has an excellent feel for the game, a high skill level, and is extremely aggressive trying to make things happen for his team.
He struggled a little bit trying to adjust to the presence of brand-new teammate Ryan Richards (which forced him outside even more), and looked a little predictable at times using strictly his left hand. He has good length and a decent frame, but doesn’t enjoy the upside of some of the other big men here due to his limited athletic ability. He had trouble defending the pick and roll, showing poor lateral quickness, and seemed to lack some quickness and explosiveness to get himself high-percentage looks at the basket on a regular basis. This probably wasn’t the best weekend he’s had, but some scouts we talked to who were very familiar with him said it will take a lot more than this to erase the excellent impression he left at L’Hospitalet a few months back.
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L’Hospitalet 2008: Balkan Dominance
January 13, 2008
A well-deserved tournament MVP, Mirotic delivered a clinic of skills for a big guy. It’s impressive the outstanding array of moves he can display on the offensive end. Sometimes it seemed like he had an endless bag of tricks under his sleeve to get the job done. However, he also suffered for some stretches against the physical defense of Zeleznik.
Mirotic is a finesse player, obviously extremely skilled, and very versatile. Pretty long, he stands around 6-10 right now, but doctors have reportedly projected him to grow up to seven feet. His frame, even if not the best around, is decent, but he’s still pretty much a skinny guy. He neither stands out by possessing outstanding athleticism, but he shows very nice mobility on the floor, actually displaying more than enough for a guy of his characteristics. He is very coordinated and is blessed with terrific hands, which makes everything easier for him.
It’s hard to think about any single skill he should feature on the offensive end and doesn’t; perhaps a better use of his left hand finishing around the basket. Anyway, in the junior category, he’s as much of a face-up guy as a back-to-the-basket player. He can effectively shoot the ball with range out to the three-point line, and can even fire off the dribble. If necessary, he uses pump fakes to unbalance his opponents (or double pump fakes) and puts the ball on the floor with both hands with impressive ease to attack players even smaller and quicker than him. He also showcases excellent footwork in the low post, and has solid footspeed and a soft touch to put the ball in the net. Mirotic is an able passer either with kick-outs off penetrations or from the low or high post. He also runs the floor very well, and is a guy who almost always stays under control.
Real Madrid is wisely encouraging his versatility by allowing him to do virtually anything on the court. And he does, filling the whole entire floor, so he’s as soon working in the lane he just as easily be in the high post or behind the arc. Actually, he took the ball up-court himself several times, but he still doesn’t force the issue and never crosses the line of an individualistic player.
The biggest hole in Mirotic’s game is his defense, and it’s not even that serious. He could eventually intimidate smaller opponents thanks to his length, also coming up with some steals, but he’s not the most intense guy in this regard. However, he’s a solid rebounder that takes advantage of his hands, length and positioning.
Anyway, Mirotic has emerged as one of the very top prospects born in 1991 and beyond, certainly for the international game, but likely with NBA potential as well.
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