Chicago Bulls Rumors: Can Nikola Mirotic win Rookie of the Year?
By Josh Hill
The Chicago Bulls took a chance on Nikola Mirotic back in 2011 knowing that he wouldn’t be coming over to the NBA for a few years. That time is now, as Mirotic will be joining the Bulls for the 2014-15 season and fans can’t wait to see what he has.
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He comes highly touted, no doubt, but expectations will likely need to be checked before the season starts as Mirotic will be great but not likely spectacular and lights out in his first season in the NBA.
According to Steve Kyler from Basketball Insiders, while Mirotic is going to be considered a rookie this season, he won’t be in the running for Rookie of the Year thanks to not getting as many minutes or points as other rookies who were drafted this season.
"Rookie of the Year is about minutes and points — its sad, but unfortunately very true. You don’t hear Niko mentioned, because no one believes he’ll log the kinds of minutes and points Wiggins, Parker, Exum, or Randle are going to log as the face guys of their teams."
It’s a sad but true fact of the NBA, but Mirotic simply plays the wrong position to get noticed. He’s not a flashy point guard or a scoring small forward who will light up the stat sheets with three pointers and highlight reel shots. That doesn’t mean he won’t be valuable to the Bulls — because he’s going to be great — but fans would be wise to curb their expectations as Mirotic will have to develop over time like Omer Asik did with the Bulls, rather than explode onto the scene right away.
Be sure to check FanSided.com’s official NBA page to keep up to date on the latest news and rumors from around the league all summer long.