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The Chicago Bulls own the draft rights to Nikola Mirotic, a 6-10 forward from Montenegro who was the 23rd overall selection in the 2011 NBA Draft. Reports about Mirotic have been nothing short of glowing since the beginning of the Euroleague season, and another accolade rolled in for the Real Madrid forward on Tuesday: Mirotic became the first repeat winner of the Euroleague's Rising Star Trophy.
The Rising Star Trophy is presented to the is best Euroleague player who was under 22 years old on July 1 of the summer before the season started. Mirotic has made significant strides the last seasons in the Euroleague, which has many in the Bulls fans hoping he can follow a similar career trajectory to '90s Chicago star Toni Kukoc.
Mirotic averaged a team-high 14.6 points per game for Real Madrid this season, and finished as a 91 percent free throw shooter, the top mark in the Euroleague. He ranked top-three on his team in rebounding, steals, and shooting percentages from any section of the court.
Mirotic likely won't be in Chicago until after the 2012-2013 season at the earliest, but the future certainly appears bright for the 21-year old.
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