Post by jhb on Mar 12, 2021 14:42:56 GMT -5
Ersan Ilyasova
PF
6'9"
210
18 (or 21? who knows?)
Turkey
One of the biggest things scouts point to when they break down Ilyasova as a prospect is that he's very physically mature for an 18 year old. But is he 18? Some reports have stated that he has lied about his age and that he's at least 21. That certainly changes the profile of a player in terms of expecting a bunch of upside out of him. These concerns, along with his frequent history of injury, have some questioning the upsides many other scouts are pointing to as the youngest man's biggest selling point as a prospect.
While they do say he's physically mature for his supposed age, he still needs to add strength to his frame. He profiles as a power forward but to this point he's preferred to hang out on the perimeter and threaten opposing teams as a shooter. And he can certainly do that as he has a very clean shooting stroke and hits from deep at a surprising rate for a young player. Paint scoring and ball-handling are a little more raw and will need some work at the next level and he isn't much of a passer, preferring to pull his shot whenever he gets an opening.
Defensively, Ilyasova is also a bit raw. He has the tools to be a good defender, and as a man-to-man defender he has the athleticism and length that will give his opponents problems. At this point though, he's still a green at playing within the team concept and he constantly forgets to rotate. If he cleans that up he shouldn't be a liability on that end at all. In fact, he's actually shown that he's a willing rebounder and may be a benefit to a team in that way as he will clean the defensive boards.