Nothing is set in stone, but it seems the likelihood of Nikola Mirotic starting next to Pau Gasol is higher than ever. The two spent multiple summers together playing in Spain, which help build their strong chemistry.
“While Hoiberg said he hasn’t decided who will start the Oct. 27 regular-season opener against the [Cleveland] Cavaliers, sources said the first-year coach is leaning strongly toward starting Nikola Mirotic” KC Johnson
Sam Smith broke the news that Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol would no longer start next to each other shortly after Fred Hoiberg’s hiring. During Hoiberg’s experimental lineups in the preseason, he tried just one game of Gasol and Noah at the front-court against the Pistons. Noah pleaded his case to start next to Gasol once again, but Hoiberg seems to have made up his mind already of Nikola Mirotic at power-forward.
The Chicago Bulls sold the concept of building from within the organization to the fan-base. The lack of moves they’ve made in the summer besides bringing back Mike Dunleavy and Jimmy Butler left the fans restless. However, the Bulls promised the growth of Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott to push the Bulls to a championship level team. The best way to fulfill that promise is to give both players bigger roles. For Nikola Mirotic, it means the starting power-forward position.
