I admit, I thought Ersan Ilyasova was kind of done this year. It was not a happy thought for me, but seeing all the similar players on the Hawks roster that were balling out, I had to accept the truth. Or, what I thought was the truth. Turns out, Ilyasova, despite being like five years older than claimed, still has a little bit left in the tank.
The combined presences of Cavanaugh, Babbitt, Muscala, and Belinelli can not hold down Turkish Thunder. No matter how well they play. Ilyasova will find a way into the game, and when he gets in, he will do the things that got him here in the first place.
If you wondering what those things are, well, it’s mostly jumpers where he leans way back for no reason. Also some rebounds, but mostly jumpers. Good to see that things haven’t changed much since he was in Milwaukee. In particular, the play at 0:55 was a serious blast from the past. Easy, wide open midrange jumper? No. Let’s step way back to beyond the three-point line, giving the defender time to come over and tightly contest the shot. I loved Ill-man, but that kind of stuff pissed me off so much.
Also, the dunk he had in this one was I think the hardest I’ve ever seen him slam it.