Mirotic: Hard Work Pays Off in Tough NBA

“To be honest, not really (did he expect play at this level),” (Bulls Nikola) Mirotic admitted after Friday’s win. “I knew if I come (to the NBA), I come because I know I am going to be ready to play. But I know it’s not easy to play on big teams, like Chicago. I was thinking to improve, to help my team, to play better and to get my chance.

“It was tough (at the beginning of the season), different team and you are not playing,” agreed Mirotic. “So in my mind what can I do to get this chance to play? So I worked hard every day and when your chance is coming you need to be ready; if you are not ready maybe you don’t get another chance. I was working and I was ready when the chance came and I’m really, really happy. Right now I am still having my minutes. I am still helping my team. It is a big adjustment for me, too, because right now I am playing two positions; but it’s fun, interesting, tough.”

Mirotic has proven so valuable that Thibodeau has played him at small forward, which before the season Thibodeau said Mirotic could not do. Because Mirotic has been too difficult to take off the court.

via NBA.com/Bulls