I’ve really been impressed with how Ersan Ilyasova has played for the 76ers. After his not-so-good stint with the Magic, I kind of thought he was done. Maybe not totally done, but done enough that he would never again get major minutes for a team. His prospects for playing improved when he got traded to Philly who really needed shooting, but I was still skeptical.
I’m still skeptical, actually, even after all these good games by him. He’s still doing that dopey fade on all of his jumpers, which makes them look short every god-damn time. Every shot he makes surprises me. It shouldn’t, but it does. That’s the truth. Ersan is my OG, but I’ve never been confident in those unnecessary faders and improbable stepbacks.