Dunn credits Hoiberg for building confidence in outside shot
Kris Dunn is trying to stay confident with his outside shot. Even though he has gone 0-for-7 from long range during the three-game winning streak, he's at a respectable 38.5 percent on the season, which is a nice improvement for a guy who always has been known for poor shooting.
"That's been a knock on me since middle school," Dunn said Tuesday at the Advocate Center. "It doesn't bother me at all. I can take any criticism, it doesn't really matter to me."
Dunn has been working with coach Fred Hoiberg on his shot mechanics. Hoiberg felt Dunn shot a few 3-pointers too quickly Monday against Boston. Hoiberg thinks as this stage, Dunn is better off getting in balance before launching from long range.
Beyond the fundamentals, Dunn appreciates that Hoiberg encourages him to keep shooting.
"I think Fred, he does an unbelievable job, especially with me and the team," Dunn said. "He allows me to play with freedom. I think that's what coach (Ed) Cooley did when I was in college (at Providence) and it helped my confidence. It helped me get comfortable and allowed me to play through mistakes.
"He (Hoiberg) is doing the game thing. It's definitely beneficial to me. When somebody gives you that freedom, you try to play as hard as you can and not make many mistakes … because it's like he really wants me to do good."
Markkanen getting better:
Bulls rookie Lauri Markkanen was feeling better Tuesday after missing the first regular-season game of his brief career against Boston.
Markkanen participated in Monday's shootaround, but his back tightened up as the day went along. So while Markkanen sat out, Nikola Mirotic got his first start of the season and scored a game-high 24 points.
Coach Fred Hoiberg said Markkanen planned to go through the noncontact parts of practice and if he feels good Wednesday, there's a chance the Finland native could play Wednesday against Utah.
"He won't do a lot of contact stuff, but we don't have a lot planned," Hoiberg said. "For the most part, it's going to be a mental day and Lauri should be able to take part in that. Reassess tomorrow."
Dunn meets mentor:
Kris Dunn talked about his impending matchup with Utah's Ricky Rubio on Wednesday at the United Center. Last season both players were in Minnesota and, as a rookie, Dunn played a backup role behind Rubio.
"A lot of people thought me and him didn't like each other because we were competing for the same spot. But to be honest, I have nothing bad to say about Ricky," Dunn said. "He was a great dude. He helped me in a lot of ways, on the court and off the court.
"Especially with Minnesota. He taught me how to get the fans on my side a little bit even though they were kind of harsh on me. I have nothing bad to say about Ricky at all."
Rubio and Dunn already met on the court this season, when the Bulls lost badly at Utah on Nov. 22.