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Milwaukee Bucks 2018-19 Season Review: Nikola Mirotic

By Jordan Treske

MILWAUKEE - APRIL 30: Milwaukee Bucks forward Nikola Mirotic (41) looks skyward after his three pointer on his second try gave the Bucks a 109-81 lead in the fourth quarter. The Milwaukee Bucks host the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference NBA Semi-Finals at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on April 30, 2019. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE - APRIL 30: Milwaukee Bucks forward Nikola Mirotic (41) looks skyward after his three pointer on his second try gave the Bucks a 109-81 lead in the fourth quarter. The Milwaukee Bucks host the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference NBA Semi-Finals at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on April 30, 2019. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WI – APRIL 30: (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images).
MILWAUKEE, WI – APRIL 30: (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images). /

The best of Mirotic

Upon coming to Milwaukee and finally seeing action after the All-Star break, Mirotic showed that he could fit right into the formula the Bucks had built over the course of the season.

While his shooting percentages dipped below from the production he was displaying with the Pelicans earlier in the year, Mirotic still managed to average 11.6 points per game on .415/.356/.870 shooting splits, which equated to a 56.2 true shooting percentage (Mirotic posted a 59.1 true shooting percentage on 16.7 points per game while in New Orleans).

But Mirotic’s presence on the floor raised the Bucks’ already lethal offense to new heights in his month-long availability during the regular season as he posted the highest offensive rating of all Bucks players at 115.4 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com/stats.

And Mirotic’s standing defensively, while it ended up being problematic at the end of the Bucks’ playoff run, he held his own throughout his brief time with the Bucks following the All-Star break, as evidenced by his 104.2 defensive rating.

Mirotic’s engagement on the glass certainly helped in that regard as he posted a 15.8 defensive rebounding percentage across his 14 appearances with the Bucks during their regular season campaign. Additionally, Mirotic managed to average 1.1 steals and a block on a per-36 minute basis after joining the Bucks.

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