Spain's stretch four wants to get better

MADRID (FIBA EuroBasket 2017) - Nikola Mirotic has already enjoyed two succesful summers with Spain's national team, both of which ended on the podium.

The highlight was winning the EuroBasket crown in 2015 when many expected Spain to fail. Mirotic had a starring role in that side.

He also experienced a high this summer with a first taste of the Olympics. Mirotic and Spain came up short of reaching the Final for the third Summer Games in a row.

Yet they still beat Australia in one of the best Bronze Medal Games of all time.

What can Spain expect from Mirotic in the years to come as they undergo a change of generations? The 25-year-old sees himself as a "stretch four" and no one would dispute that after watching him carry Spain past France in the Quarter-Finals of the Olympics.

The 2.08m power forward and teammate Rudy Fernandez started hot from 3-point range and put the country on the way to a comprehensive victory.

"I like to play for the team. I was never selfish. If I need to give the extra pass, I give the extra pass. I think I'm a stretch four. I like to open the floor. Taking 3-point shots is one of my strengths." - Mirotic

Mirotic finished 5 of 8 in that game and had a career-high with the senior national team of 23 points, surpassing a 22-point effort at the EuroBasket he had against Iceland.

While Spain will have the option of inviting NBA star Serge Ibaka, the big man who helped the country win the EuroBasket 2011 title and reach the Olympic Final in London, back onto the roster as the naturalized player instead of using that slot on Mirotic, right now there seems to be more upside by keeping things as they are.

The Montenegro-born Mirotic embraced his opportunities to play with Spain's U20 sides and he has been equally enthusiastic about turning out for the senior team. He wants to be a big part of the squad moving forward.

Mirotic was a sizzling 5 of 8 from the arc against France in Rio

The qualities that he sees in himself make him a natural fit for a side that has been the most dominant in Europe dating back to 2003, when it reached the Final of the EuroBasket in Sweden. When asked to describe his way of playing, he thought for a second and then gave an honest assessment.

"I like to play for the team," he said. "I was never selfish. If I need to give the extra pass, I give the extra pass. I think I'm a stretch four. I like to open the floor. Taking 3-point shots is one of my strengths."

Mirotic was not as effective shooting the ball early last season, his second in the NBA, for the Chicago Bulls but he looked better after he fully recovered from appendectomy.

At the Olympics, he had a zero-for-four effort from the arc in Spain's second game against Brazil but overall was a reliable option on the perimeter. What is indisputable is that Mirotic is an incredible talent and what is going to make him a lot more dangerous is the realization that he can get better.

"Each year I'm thinking of things I can improve," he said. "I know that next up will be defensively. I need to work on my strength, and I am. (But) Right now, I can't complain. It's going well."

Offensively, Mirotic got right into the flow for Spain in Rio. He hit almost 45 percent (17 of 38) shots from long range.

But he knows that as a power forward, he must be able to compete on defense against the game's best players and to be able to do that, he definitely needs to get stronger.

When Spain needed him most against the USA in the physicality department, Mirotic wasn't able to give what was needed. He picked up four first-half fouls, the last on a technical, which limited his contributions.

Foul trouble left Mirotic on the bench for much of the USA game

By winning EuroBasket 2015 and clinching a spot in the Olympics, Mirotic and Spain were among the 14 teams to seal a place in next year's EuroBasket.

When he shows up for training camp next summer, he'll be hoping to do so after a successful third season in the NBA with Chicago.

"I'm having a great experience in the NBA," he said. "I think each year I'm improving, but next year I think is going to be the most important for me. We'll have a new team and hopefully we'll be in the playoffs as everyone is expecting."

FIBA