Milwaukee Bucks: 5 goals for Ersan Ilyasova in 2018-19 season

Grow more comfortable playing as small ball center

Perhaps the biggest takeaway of Ilyasova’s late season stint with the Philadelphia 76ers last year was him assuming small ball center duties for extended stretches.

Whether it was during the last couple of months of the regular season or throughout the Sixers’ postseason run, Ilyasova proved to be more than capable when deployed as a small ball center next to Philly’s star point forward, Ben Simmons.

In the 247 minutes both Ilyasova and Simmons played together as a frontcourt tandem during the regular season, the Sixers outscored opponents by 12.5 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com/stats.

Of course, the Bucks boast a player in Simmons’ mold in Antetokounmpo and there’s little reason to suggest that role usage won’t translate into Ilyasova’s third stint with the Bucks, even with the reshaped frontcourt mix the Bucks sport at the moment.

The situation will undoubtedly dictate when Budenholzer looks to put forth that kind of frontline on the court, but having that option very well could extend the impact Ilyasova has on this coming year and give the Bucks some much needed stability at the center position.