News
Article
Mirotic heads to the Fashion Capital hoping to push Milan to storied heights

Mirotic heads to the Fashion Capital hoping to push Milan to storied heights

Article

4 August 20234 Mins read

Frankie Sachs

Mirotic heads to the Fashion Capital hoping to push Milan to storied heights

The marriage of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and Nikola Mirotic brings together a club and player both worthy of championships. Mirotic has come agonizingly close in the past, he helped FC Barcelona reach the 2021 championship – after beating Milan in the semifinal – and had a monster semifinal at the 2022 Final Four, but his team came up short in each of the past three Final Fours. That's in addition to reaching championship games with Real Madrid in 2013 and 2014.

The most decorated club in Italian basketball, Milan has won the EuroLeague three times, but the most recent triumph was in 1988. In the modern era, club owner and fashion magnate Giorgio Armani has given the club all the tools to succeed. Coach Ettore Messina, a four-time champion himself, put Milan back on the list of contenders with a march to the Final Four in 2021 and a third-place finish in the 2021-22 regular season, but injuries tripped up his plans last season.

Can Mirotic and Milan be what each other was missing to climb to the top of the podium?

"I'm happy to become part of this big family that is Olimpia Milano and to be able to contribute to making this team and this prestigious club ever more competitive," Mirotic said after signing. "I will try to do my best to reward the trust that Mr. Armani and President Dell'Orco have shown me. I'm also very happy to be back playing for Coach Messina who I met when I was starting out. I'm sure next season will be a fun season and our fans will be proud of us."

While he may be the marquee name, all involved know that winning must be more than a one-man show and Milan has built a very strong frontline that will complement Mirotic's abilities. Alongside the returning trio of Kyle Hines, Jonannes Voigtmann and Nicolo Melli, Milan also signed Ismael Kamagate, Alex Poythress and Guglielmo Caruso this summer. In addition to depth, Milan has the tools in place to be fierce on the boards at both ends of the court, to protect the rim and to stretch the floor.

One of three players in EuroLeague history to make 300 career three-pointers and grab 1,000 rebounds, Mirotic will be able to shine again in these categories thanks to the talent around him. Though it may take time initially to find which pairings work best, it is easy to envision Mirotic playing alongside Kamagate, Voigtmann, Hines, Poythress or Melli, as matchups dictate, and creating plenty of headaches along the way.

In fact, Coach Messina shared with Italian newspaper La Repubblica that Mirotic won't exclusively play his natural position: "Since we lost Luigi Datome [due to retirement], I'll use Nikola also as a small forward, a role that he has already played both in the NBA and in FC Barcelona."

Such a lineup would allow Milan to play big, potentially with features former all-EuroLeague small forward Shavon Shields at the 2. And in such a lineup, Mirotic's ability to shine in the low post would be even more dramatic.

Regardless of lineups, Mirotic's high basketball IQ has helped him find ways to be effective whether playing alongside other scorers or as the main protagonist with a natural playmaker. In Milan, he will get a chance to do both.

Maodo Lo, Diego Flaccadori and Giordano Bortolani all signed for Milan this summer and join Kevin Pangos, Billy Baron, Devon Hall and Stefano Tonut in a crowded backcourt. Indeed, this mix of players gives Coach Messina great flexibility in creating lineups.

Only three players (Kamagate, Bortolani and Caruso) arrive without EuroLeague experience and virtually all of the players are considered to be team-first types. With a superstar like Mirotic setting the standard, Milan could well be a team that may not have many league-leaders in the stats section, but more importantly, in the mix to take the crown in Berlin in May.