CHICAGO -- Chicago Bulls big man Joakim Noah walked out of the shower late Thursday night after an exhilarating 108-105 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, headed back toward his locker, and saw rookie forward Nikola Mirotic to his left.
"Vamos!" he happily exclaimed. "Good s---, young boy!"
Like many of his teammates, Noah couldn't contain his excitement, especially in regard to Mirotic's performance. For the third straight game, Mirotic carried the Bulls at times offensively. He scored 26 points -- including 14 in the fourth quarter -- and has become the weapon Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau and the front office always hoped he could be, and at just the right time.
The key for Mirotic is that the confidence that appeared to wane after a solid December stretch has been revitalized since the All-Star break, and just as the Bulls have lost Derrick Rose (knee), Jimmy Butler (elbow) and Taj Gibson (ankle) to injuries.
Mirotic is averaging 26 points over his past three games and says his mindset is strong right now.
"I'm playing with more confidence," Mirotic said. "I'm feeling good on the court. I'm running, sometimes when I get the ball, I push the ball. That's my basketball [style]. I'm trying to show this game how I can play -- my confidence is at a high level. I don't want to stop."
The short-handed Bulls can't afford for Mirotic to stop. He has emerged as a clutch scorer in the fourth quarter over the past three games, putting up a combined 38 points in the final frame.
"He's definitely growing," Bulls big man Pau Gasol said. "He's getting more used to the competition, more comfortable, more confident. Now he's getting more minutes because of Taj's injury. He's doing really well. I think he's done great every time we've been short-handed on the frontcourt, and he's played at a high level."
The difference between Mirotic and most rookies is he doesn't show much fear on the court. At age 24, he has played big games in Europe, and he knows what it takes to succeed in pressure situations. One of the biggest differences in Thursday's game was he made a point to get to the free throw line, knocking down 14 of 16 from the stripe.
When asked why he was able to thrive in pressure spots, Mirotic had a simple answer.
"I don't know, maybe because I was taking a lot of shots in Europe, important shots," he said. "Of course it's a huge difference, you're a new guy, but my teammates -- they expect me [to take those shots]. They got confidence in me, the coach, too, so if they run plays for me I just need to think to score the shots."
His teammates have seen the subtle differences in his game recently as well.
"His assertiveness is there," veteran Mike Dunleavy said. "Whether it's being more comfortable or confident or whatever, but you can just tell he's got that feel where he's got it going, believes in himself, knows what he's doing out there. He's playing great basketball."
Mirotic seems to be just scratching the surface of his potential. He knows there is another level he can hit. It's that potential that made Noah contend early in training camp that the rookie could become the Bulls' "secret weapon" this season.
"I'm proud of him," Noah said after Thursday night's game. "He's a very hard worker and he's an unbelievable talent. And the sky's the limit for him."