Mirotic will get a start in Bulls' second preseason game
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg plans to start Nikola Mirotic at power forward in preseason game No. 2 at Indiana on Thursday.
Mirotic didn't exactly earn the promotion, at least not based on Monday's loss to Milwaukee, when he went 1-for-7 from the field for 2 points, 3 rebounds and 2 turnovers in 19 minutes of action.
Hoiberg insisted Mirotic has done well throughout training camp and his poor performance against the Bucks was the exception. But with Taj Gibson and Bobby Portis in the mix for minutes at power forward, Mirotic needs to show consistent production.
"He's doing everything that's asked of him," Hoiberg said of Mirotic. "His shot selection has been very good. And really, besides the other night, he has shot the ball extremely well.
"He was the first guy in the gym the next morning getting up shots, making most of them. He's had a couple very good days of practice since."
Portis didn't shoot well on Monday, hitting just 2 of 8 shots, but he grabbed 9 rebounds. In general, the Bulls' reserves did not play well against the Bucks until the final nine minutes of the fourth quarter, when a lineup of Portis, Cristiano Felicio, Doug McDermott, Tony Snell and Spencer Dinwiddie went on a 20-3 run and temporarily erased a 15-point deficit.
Of course, Milwaukee didn't have its best lineup on the court then and used just one big man, John Henson, down the stretch.
Hoiberg is hoping the competition for backup spots across the lineup will bring out the best in players. In the backcourt, Dinwiddie, Jerian Grant and Isaiah Canaan are vying for minutes, with rookie Denzel Valentine in the mix when he recovers from a left ankle sprain.
"It's not just scoring the ball. It's the intangibles," Hoiberg said. "Can they get us into an offense? Can they get the ball up the floor quickly? Can they get us into our defensive coverages, get us into an offensive set? It's the little things that you're looking for from these young guys."
It's not clear if Hoiberg plans to try Portis in the starting lineup at some point in preseason. Veteran Taj Gibson started against Milwaukee and delivered 11 points and 12 rebounds in 22 minutes.
"I don't look at it as a competition thing with Taj and Niko," Portis said Wednesday. "I look at it as a thing of me just going out there and being myself from Day 1.
"From (the start of) training camp until now I feel like I've progressed a lot."
Even after claiming it's not a competition, Portis admitted it has been fun going against his teammates in practice so far, knowing regular-season minutes are at stake.
"Everyone is full of energy," Portis said. "We have a lot of guys that are around the same age, trying to go out there and compete for minutes this year. It's always fun to go out there and compete."
After the preseason opener, it seems clear the Bulls' best lineup is Gibson and Robin Lopez on the inside. But there may be nights when they need a long-range shooter on the floor, or more size on the second team. So the competition for minutes is far from settled.
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