Ersan Ilyasova may not be the most recognized player on the Milwaukee Bucks‘ current roster, but he made his presence felt Thursday night in the team’s win against the Indiana Pacers with a career-high 34 points on 12-of-14 shooting from the field.
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Ilyasova also hit on five three-pointers out of six attempts, which is sensational for a player that stands at 6-foot-10. Ilyasova is a skilled big man who can operate both out of the post and on the perimeter, and he doesn’t back down from anyone on either end of the floor.
As much of a finesse player as Ilyasova is, he isn’t afraid to mix it up with the other team down low, as he plays a tough brand of defense and can even be a problem for the other team in terms of challenging and blocking shots.
It’s not often for teams to be able to find a player that has Ilyasova’s combination of shooting touch and toughness. Most players that have skills on the perimeter tend to drift out there too often, but that’s not Ilyasova’s game. Ilyasova wants the ball in the post and only uses his perimeter shot when his number is called by head coach Jason Kidd or when he can sense that the lane is too clogged for other players to operate inside.
With Ilyasova’s shot from deep and his knowledge of operating anywhere on the floor, it’s clear that he deserves at least a spot in an NBA rotation, let alone starter’s minutes. Ilyasova is a veteran who’s played the game of basketball long enough to know how to contribute in multiple areas on the floor. He knows how to win basketball games for his team, and most importantly he plays within the flow of the offense.
Ilyasova doesn’t force a lot of bad shots. Rather, he takes what he can get, but when he’s feeling it, his teammates won’t hesitate to get him the ball, as was the case against the Pacers.
The real question here is, will Ilyasova be a member of the Bucks after this season?
It seems as though Milwaukee doesn’t fully know what it wants to do. The team wants to compete and win games, but it seems that a focus has been put on gathering young talent that play the game a certain way. Outside of combo forward Jabari Parker, who will surely be in the lineup because of his offense, the rest of the projected starting lineup for next season includes long players who are adept at playing defense and switching in the man-to-man game.
Having an entire lineup that can switch off pick-and-rolls and not compromise one specific area of the defense seems to be the new trend that has been set in motion within the league, and the Bucks have been on board all season long, a big reason why they have one of the NBA’s best defenses and find themselves in the Eastern Conference playoff race despite having been in the lottery just a season ago.
Yes, Ilyasova can play defense and is long in his own right, but he’s not a freakish athlete like a John Henson or Giannis Antetokounmpo. Ilyasova is skilled and brings toughness to the front line, but he doesn’t run up and down the floor as well as the other players, and when having to guard smaller players, Ilyasova tends to get lost at times trying to keep up.
Ilyasova isn’t a bad player by any means, but he doesn’t fit the style of basketball that the Bucks ultimately want to play.
Now Ilyasova still has two years remaining on his current deal, and his $8 million hold on the cap may encourage the Bucks to move him and try to spend that money elsewhere on the team’s other needs, primarily more scoring and three-point offense on the perimeter.
Ilyasova’s future with Milwaukee doesn’t seem too bright, but that doesn’t mean his future isn’t. A game like he had against the Pacers just validates that he still has plenty left in the tank, and at age 27, he could offer a contender plenty whether it’s in the starting lineup or off the bench.
If I were part of a contending team, I would look to make an offer on him in the offseason and see if I could pry him away from Milwaukee. His skilled game and toughness as a big man could really put a winning team over the top.
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