Milwaukee Bucks: 2010s All-Decade team by position

6th Man: Ersan Ilyasova, 2010-15, 2018-19

While it’s not unheard of for players to return to play for a previous team, Ersan Ilyasova stresses that concept as far as any player in recent memory.

Drafted by the Bucks in the 2005 NBA Draft, he appeared in 66 games in the 2006-07 season before heading overseas. Returning in 2009, he played the next six seasons with the Bucks, roughly five and a half of which fall under the bounds of this decade for our purposes.

Ilyasova was a dependable rotation player but never a star, averaging double-digit scoring and starting around half of the games he appeared in. Then he left, spending the next three seasons playing in five different cities.

Then, interestingly enough, he came back to Milwaukee, signing a three-year deal in 2018 as a backup to Giannis Antetokounmpo at the four.

The Turkish forward has never started more than 54 games in a season, instead, appearing off the bench as a shooter. Defensively he is known for taking charges, leveraging his basketball IQ to make an impact despite not being the most athletic player on the court. Throughout 552 games with the team, he has shot 37.0 percent from deep and averaged 10.1 points in 22.9 minutes per game.

Ilyasova gains this position due to his longevity and his solid if unspectacular play. He also wins out over the thin competition. Any players to perform well in a bench role largely did so for a single season, perhaps two. Greg Monroe, John Salmons, or Grevis Vasquez do not approach the impact Ilyasova has had playing in parts of seven seasons.