Mirotic's bullish play turning heads

— -- CHICAGO -- Nikola Mirotic, the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for December, got a good sense of how much his basketball life would change as a member of the Chicago Bulls before he even stepped on the floor.

After arriving in Chicago this past summer, the 23-year-old, who was a relative unknown to NBA fans after playing in the Euroleague for years, was instantly recognized by Bulls fans.

"The first day when I come here, it was in July and I signed the contract, they recognized me and that was a big surprise for me," Mirotic said. "Some people told me, 'Niko, we were waiting for you [for] three years.' I was like, 'Wow!'

"It was great. Chicago is a great city. People are really polite to me and I really feel great to be here in Chicago."

As happy as Mirotic is about playing for the Bulls, it doesn't match the excitement those in the Bulls' front office have about watching him continue to grow on a championship-caliber team. Bulls executives raved about Mirotic from the moment they swung a draft-night deal to land his rights in 2011. But even after Mirotic racked up accolades in Europe over the past few seasons, he was still viewed as an unknown to Bulls players and coaches.

It didn't take long for Mirotic to show everyone in the NBA what he could do. All-Star center Joakim Noah had been hearing rave reviews from Bulls director of international scouting Ivica Dukan, who had scouted Mirotic for years. Early in training camp, Noah said the rookie would be a "secret weapon" for his team, but as Mirotic continues to rack up big numbers for the Bulls, it seems as if the secret is out.

"He's a very skilled player with a very high IQ," Noah said. "And I think it's just confidence. He's played in big games for a while now in Europe and he's just getting more comfortable with the NBA game. But he's a hell of a talent."

How much of a talent? 

Mirotic is averaging 15.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per 36 minutes. If he continues at that pace he would become the first rookie in Bulls history to accomplish that feat while also playing at least 10 minutes a game. To that point, the past five rookies to do that while playing at least 15 minutes a game are an impressive list of young big men: Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, Blake Griffin, Yao Ming and Tim Duncan.

Why is Mirotic having this kind of impact already?

"Just who he is," Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He came in with a great attitude, a great approach to the game, he's smart, he's driven, he's not afraid, he wants to do well, he wants the team to function well, he's fit in extremely well.

"And I think now, as he's going through the league for a second time, he's getting a lot more comfortable as well. He's got a good edge about him."

In the past couple weeks, Mirotic has also been trying to learn how to defend 3-pointers instead of strictly playing the "stretch 4" role he was accustomed to a few months into his NBA career. The confidence that Noah and Thibodeau speak of in regards to Mirotic, and the fact that he had a distinguished career in Europe, are two of the biggest reasons the Bulls believe the adjustment has been smoother for him.

Thibodeau said that Mirotic's preparation reminds him of the way Omer Asik came in and learned during his rookie season with the Bulls in 2010-11.

"Playing two positions, particularly when it's small and big, that's quite a challenge," Thibodeau said. "And he's handled that part extremely well. It hasn't really surprised me because of how quickly he's picked up a lot of other things. He's never satisfied, comes in and he's the same every day. It's a good approach to have."

Mirotic's stats compare favorably to two of the players he has been compared to most before coming to the NBA: Dirk Nowitzki and Hedo Turkoglu. Nowitzki was a rookie in the lockout shortened season of 1998-99. In 47 games, the Dallas Mavericks sharpshooter made 24 starts and averaged 8.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 20.4 minutes a game. In his rookie year with the Sacramento Kings, Turkoglu played in 74 games, made seven starts and averaged 5.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 16.8 minutes a game.

Mirotic, who is averaging 18.6 minutes a game, has made his presence felt early. He leads all rookies with 2.7 win shares, twice as many as any other rookie. The next closest rookie was the Milwaukee Bucks' Jabari Parker, who was at 1.3 before he tore his ACL.

Mirotic is currently averaging .200 win shares/48 minutes. Of the 65 rookie of the year winners, only five have averaged more win shares per 48 minutes, according to ESPN Stats & Info. The list is impressive: Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, David Robinson and Walt Bellamy.

"He's a basketball player," Thibodeau said. "He can shoot the ball, he can pass the ball, he can rebound the ball. He's improving a lot defensively. Just the way he studies in general, to know what our opponents are doing, to know who the opponents are, their strengths and weaknesses, the things that he's trying to take away, I think it's all good."

For all the numbers Mirotic has put together, even he acknowledges that the journey hasn't been easy. The key for him, and the reason he feels comfortable, is that his teammates have made the transition easier for him. Both he and Thibodeau credited veteran Pau Gasol for helping Mirotic bridge the gap on and off the floor.

"Everything for me here is different," Mirotic said. "I didn't know how they practice, how they play. They have a lot more games [in the NBA] than in Spain. Every day I'm learning something different. The most important thing [is], my teammates, they help me every day, the coaches too.

"Some days if I make any mistakes they give me a hand. They tell me, 'Go Niko, go ahead, you can do it.' So they make me feel good, they make me feel comfortable in the game and they trust in me. That's the most important for me."

Over the past few weeks, Mirotic has found himself on the floor late in games, being asked to take and make big shots as he did in the final minutes against the Houston Rockets on Monday night. It's a challenge he has risen to recently. Thibodeau, who has been hesitant over his five-year tenure to play rookies in crunch time, if at all, is allowing Mirotic to stay on the floor more than usual. But, as Thibodeau and the Bulls have found out, Mirotic isn't your average NBA rookie. The veteran coach believes it comes down to preparation.

"Whenever you work the way that he works, you're never going to feel pressure," Thibodeau said. "If you put everything you have into each and every day, you practice hard, you study, you prepare, you're going to be fine in those settings."

Of the 16 rookies who have played at least 400 minutes, Mirotic leads them all in Player Efficiency Rating at 18.0. Most important for Thibodeau, the Bulls are better with Mirotic on the floor. They are outscoring opponents by 8.8 points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor, and just 2.9 points per 100 possessions when he's off of it.

While Mirotic's success may still surprise some, Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder saw this coming. Snyder, who spent the 2012-13 season as an assistant with CSKA Moscow, saw Mirotic's talent firsthand when he faced Mirotic's Real Madrid team.

"I think one of the things about younger players in the Euroleague is that they're faced immediately with playing with older, physical guys," Snyder said. "I think more so than college or the D-League, playing against guys that have experience and have toughness, and know how to play, prepares players in a slightly different way to come over and be comfortable, make an impact."

Mirotic's demeanor is one of the characteristics that teammates and opponents respect about him. He isn't afraid on the floor -- something that has served him well with the Bulls -- and one of the main reasons Noah saw so much potential in him from the beginning.

"Just the little things," Noah said. "Just from the start, you see the way he works in the summer. He was here early, he already had that professionalism about him. Just coming in, getting his work in, you knew he could shoot the ball but then as the practices went on you could just see what he could do off the bounce as well. Making passes off that high pick-and-roll, putting the ball on the floor, making passes, those are things that guys at 6-10 have a hard time doing and he's already comfortable doing that at 23 years old.

"As long as he keeps that humble approach he has about him and keeps working, he's going to be great."

The scary part for the rest of the league is how much better the Bulls believe Mirotic will be as he continues to learn about the NBA. He admitted that his first couple of months were "hard," but he has bounced back to the point where he has earned legitimate buzz as a Rookie of the Year candidate.

For the time being, Mirotic is trying to enjoy the ride that comes with being an NBA rookie. He knows he's lucky to be in Chicago playing in this kind of system and the Bulls feel quite lucky to have him.

"Sometimes, believe me, I'm not thinking if I'm going to play five or 20 minutes," he said. "When I'm on the court I want to help the team. I know it's not easy to play here in Chicago, we are one of favorites this year.

"I need to have patience, I need to work hard and if I have minutes let's try to do the best [I can]."

That's exactly the type of attitude that has endeared him to Thibodeau -- and the city -- so quickly.