By Stefan Djordjevic / info@eurohoops.net
Barcelona star forward Nikola Mirotic arrived in Barcelona in the summer of 2019 and he has been delighted with his stay so far, which will last at least until 2025 if all goes according to plan.
“I’m very happy here, that’s the most important thing. I came here to enjoy, to be happy. People have given me a lot, from the first day I arrived the Palau, they’ve been incredible with me. We have given people back their enthusiasm for basketball, they talk about basketball again, they recognize the faces of the players,” he told Mundo Deportivo.
The team didn’t get any trophies yet since his arrival but he noted that this is just the beginning and great things are to come. He revealed that he was injured during the Spanish League Final against Baskonia but no excuses.
“Yes, very few people know. It is something that you do not want to say to the media so that the rival does not know. Since the last game in the group I had a calf injury, it was risky to play but I wanted to take risks, I wanted to be with the team and give what I could. That is no excuse, I had a bad game in the final. We should have won but lost, Baskonia deserved it because they played better, especially in the second half.”
There have been changes after Sarunas Jasikevicius took over as the head coach but Mirotic has only the best words for the Lithuanian who he considers a great person as well. He also asks of them to be more… ruthless.
“Yes, be more badass, go out every game and not win by twenty if you can win by thirty-five. I think it is very fair what he asks. If a team wants to be the winner, it has to be like this, it has to take that path. You cannot be soft, today yes, tomorrow not… You have to go out every day with the same mentality.”
Saras ‘juggles’ skillfully the minutes of everybody on the roster and some players are getting more time to shine than they would usually. Mirotic welcomes it.
“How do I live it? I am very happy for the others. I’m very happy for Sergi Martínez, for Pustovyi, for Rolands Smits, for Bolmaro… Because they are players who can play, who can have minutes. Every minute they are given they take advantage of it. Saras is doing very well, we need everyone to win and it is also not normal that one can be well every game if you play thirty minutes each game. When you have to play you play and when you have to rest, he gives you rest. That helps us.”