There is a poster at realgm that has followed Nikos career, I think he is from the same country, but don't quote me on that. Anyway, the tentativeness he is showing is exactly what he did when he played FIBA basketball. It took him a while to adjust, but once he did, he excelled.
If Doug displayed an ability to score in isolation that'd really top the cake for his rookie season, assuming his defense translates once the season starts. I can't feel comfortable counting on that. Mastering Thibs' defense is a big challenge for anyone, let alone a rookie who has a reputation for lacking foot speed. I think if he was able to do that and shoot the ball well his rookie season'll be satisfied. Scoring in isolation wasn't Doug's bailiwick in college, so it really seems like a big leap to start doing that his rookie year. It'll be interesting to watch how much of his shots are assisted as the season goes on to see what kind of shot creation potential he has. My instincts tell me he's a two dribble guy in the halfcourt. I think his best bet for a shot to use is his one legged fadeaway. That's a pretty easy shot to get over taller, more athletic defenders.
Niko isn't afraid to miss a couple of times. he shot a few threes that didn't go in, but in the 4th, he shot an open three and it went in.
With the Committee's approval, I'd like to decrease my Mirotic minutes projection by 2 mpg and increase McDermott's mpg by 4 mpg. Thank you for your consideration.
I can imagine Mirotic getting 12mpg when everyone's healthy, but once you assume injuries I think his mpg is almost certain to go up. I'd bet on him getting stretches of games where he plays close to 30 mpg.
