Atlanta Hawks: Ersan Ilyasova Fitting In Perfectly
When the Atlanta Hawks signed Ersan Ilyasova, Hawks fans wondered whether or not he was going to fit in. Now, its obvious the Atlanta Hawks have improved with him on the roster despite losing games.
Monday night the Atlanta Hawks lost against the Golden State Warriors in a game where they had a great chance of winning. Of course, as we all know, Dennis Schroder sat out most of the 3rd quarter and all of the 4th quarter due to a disagreement between him and Dwight Howard.
This had a huge impact on the Hawks losing 119-111. Schroder had 23 points before the half and was blazing hot before coach Mike Budenholzer snatched him from the game.
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The Hawks have only won 2 out of 7 of their games since coming back from the All-Star break. However, despite being on a 3-game losing streak, the Hawks newly acquired big man Ersan Ilyasova, has given the Hawks the boost they needed.
Since joining the Hawks, Ilyasova has averaged 9.9 points, 1 block, and 4.4 rebounds per game. He’s also shooting 44.4 percent from long range on 2.6 attempts per game and 88.2 percent from the free throw line on 2.4 attempts per game.
On Tuesday he ended the game with 15 points, 3 steals, 5 for 6 on free throws, and 2 for 3 on 3-pointers.
When the Hawks played the Dallas Mavericks last week, he scored 18 points with 3 steals, and hit all 4 of his 3-pointers taken. Ilyasova has shown he can come into the game and contribute right away, either with good shooting or on the defensive end by drawing charges. The Hawks have obviously benefited from having him be part of the second unit. The Hawks struggled on the offensive end for most of the year. Ilyasova helps fix that.
Teams have to show Ersan Ilyasova some respect on defense or he could go on a quiet scoring barrage. He and Tim Hardaway Jr. make for a good bench offensively. Both Tim Hardaway Jr. and Ersan Ilyasova have shown they can play effectively in a starting unit. Having those two guys as backups is big for the Hawks moving forward.
Next: Was Mike Budenholzer Right To Bench Dennis Schroder?
The playoffs are just around the corner, and the Hawks need more than just one or two guys playing hard every night. They need the entire team to show 100 percent effort. The Hawks aren’t a bad team, they just need to practice consistency.