What It Means:

Hoiberg added that Mirotic's return to the court is currently being measured in weeks and not days, and that he's lost 15 pounds due to complications of the surgery. It doesn't sound like he'll be back on the court any time soon, and Taj Gibson will be the primary beneficiary in his absence as Chicago's unquestioned starting power forward. Bobby Portis will also continue to see an uptick in minutes.

Mirotic has a 0.4 nERD, which ranks 72nd. He's averaging 10.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while posting a 52.8 True Shooting Percentage. Gibson is just inside the top 50 with a 2.9 nERD, and we currently project him to put up 9.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.