NBA Playoffs 2018: Grading the New Orleans Pelicans players

#4 Nikola Mirotic: A-

Clean-shaven Mirotic is en fuego

There is a reason why the Chicago Bulls decided to give up their leading scorer and possibly their best player midseason (apart from the Bobby Portis punch of course), and that was because Mirotic was destroying opponents and the Bulls' tanking plans after he came back from his orbital bone 'injury'.

He was scoring 16.8 points at 47.4% accuracy and he continued that rich vein of form right through the rest of the season as a Pelican and into the playoffs.

To say that he has complimented Anthony Davis's game is an understatement. Mirotic in the playoffs has been absolutely on fire, hitting almost 48% of his shots, including 43.1% from three and has been no slouch defensively

Mirotic has been especially prolific in his outside scoring mode, expertly playing alongside dribble drive experts like Holiday and Davis and an absolutely brilliant passer in Rajon Rondo.

Post shots, corner shots, catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, off-balance fadeaway shots, shots from way downtown, the Montenegrin has scored in almost every manner imaginable, making fellow European forward Jusuf Nurkic look especially slow and plodding in the first round tie against the Portland Trail Blazers. Just look at this for evidence:

Mirotic has more than proved capable of being the proper in-out frontcourt punch the Pelicans can build upon moving forward, whether Cousins stays with them or not.