EuroLeague Round 15 Reactions: Milan have figured something out

Milano was something of a laughingstock last season. After winning the Nikola Mirotic sweepstakes, they failed to have any extended stretch of quality basketball and rumors swirled about a potential Ettore Messina resignation. The Italian EuroLeague legend looked like he might officially be at his best, and approaching Phil Jackson with the New York Knicks territory. 

They were active in this summer’s transfer market and restructured the team around Mirotic, bringing much more balance and versatility. But still, they sputtered out of the gate. They trailed by as much as 22 in their opener against AS Monaco, lost to Olympiacos by 21 in Round 3, and then, for the second season in a row, lost a game to basement dwellers ALBA Berlin in Round 9 making them 3-6 on the season. 

Since then, they have won six in a row and are now tied for the third-best record in EuroLeague. Their offense which seemed bereft of enthusiasm is suddenly thriving. In their first nine games, Milano was 9th in offensive rating at 115.5. During their win streak, they’re first at 128.8! The offense's core is still the same, they want to get the ball to Mirotic, but the approach is different. 

For starters, Milano is playing smaller and even uses Mirotic at center. Against Barcelona, they started Nico Mannion, Leandro Bolmaro, Zach LeDay, Shavon Shields, and Mirotic. Part of these personnel choices have been driven by Josh Nebo’s injury sustained in October but the new approach has opened the floor up a great deal. That starting lineup against Barcelona has two quality pick-and-roll operators, four good spot-up shooters, and five players confident attacking closeouts. That much perimeter skill across all five positions is rare in the EuroLeague. 

Milano is also making better use of Mirotic’s gravity. They want to get him the ball in the post, but they’ve got him screening more and coming off many more screens as well. Barcelona is a team that liked to switch, and Milano took advantage of this. They would get guards Kevin Punter or Tomas Satoransky to switch onto Mirotic first, and then look to get him the ball. They’re particularly making use of curls across the top of the arc, getting their mix of skilled players the ball on the run and downhill. This is forcing defenses to move into the paint, and opening up the perimeter. 

During this win streak, Milano is shooting 42 percent from deep — good enough for second in the league in that stretch. They’ve improved from 14th in the league in assists, to sixth at 20.5 per game. They’re turning the ball over less too, 10.5 per game which is fourth compared to 13 per game and 16th at the start of the season. 

They’re making the smaller approach work defensively by prioritizing transition defense. While winning six games in a row, Milano has dropped to dead last in offensive rebounding grabbing only eight per game. Their personnel isn’t suited to winning the battle of the backboards, so they’re opting for another advantage and getting their defense back and organized quickly. 

Many believed Messina’s back of tricks was empty, and that Mirotic’s time as an elite floor raiser was over (including the guy writing this) but with their backs firmly against the wall Milano dug deep and found a new approach and style. If the shooting is sustainable, their status in the top six may be as well.