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

Fulfilling elder statesman duties

Standing as the oldest player on the Bucks’ roster heading into the season, Ilyasova steps into the sage veteran role that was previously occupied by long-time veteran guard, Jason Terry.

Like Terry had with the Bucks’ previous head coaching regime, Ilyasova holds a level of familiarity playing under Coach Bud as he has a full year of playing under him and his staff during his stint with the Atlanta Hawks during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.

As easy as it may be for fans to look those kind of things off, having players on the roster that understand what their coaches want out of them, both individually and within the team, can help build up chemistry as the Bucks look to do, given the handful of changes they went through this offseason.

Couple that with the respect he has garnered from his teammates that previously played with him during his second stint in Milwaukee and Ilyasova’s blend of experience, wisdom and familiarity within his surroundings makes him a natural candidate to provide a steadying voice in the locker room.

By no means does that equate to the ambitions and pressures heaped on Antetokounmpo’s broad shoulders but having a conduit between the locker room and the coaching staff can have an immeasurable impact on crafting a successful season as the Bucks aim to have this year.

Be sure to keep coming around here to Behind the Buck Pass for more individual season previews in the lead up to the start of the 2018-19 NBA season.