[video=youtube;qmFgOy6cJmw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmFgOy6cJmw[/video] Real Madrid beat Fuelabrada by a score of 88-70 on Sunday. Mirotic had a solid line: 16 p (7/11 fg, 2/2 ft); 8 reb (5 d, 3 o); 2 a; 1 to; 1 s; 25 min. You can see him in the above video from 11:15-38:29 and 57:00 through the end of the game, if you want to skip ahead to the parts of the clip where he is playing. Overall, Mirotic had a very promising start to his second season. At the end of last season I compared Mirotic to a preps-to-pros prospect. He seems to have worked through many of the inexperience kinks. I was worried that Mirotic wasn't at a skill level where he could develop his game in the ACB and he has alleviated, if not quite eliminated, those concerns. Mirotic's defense is now well above average for the Spanish League. He's bumping guards when they cut through the paint, showing hard on pick and rolls, and closing out relatively well. If he isn't quite the physical presence in the paint you hope he will become, he muscles guys around on the boards. All of his skills look sharper. Mirotic on offense looks much more composed and versatile. At the end of last season he could only make plays out of a couple of areas on the court and now that is no longer a limitation. He made a series of hard drives in the game -- moves that weren't available to him six months ago. His shot still looks like a hit-or-miss work in progress -- I think he flubbed his only jumper in the game, a seven-foot gimmy. But you have to be happy with the level of progress, if there is still a long, long way to go before he's ready to compete in the NBA.
