How Ersan Ilyasova can speed up the development of Andre Drummond
By Ricky LaBlue
When Greg Monroe signed with the Milwaukee Bucks for a cool $49 million over three years, I was disappointed. The Pistons had just lost their most productive and consistent player of the last four seasons. Monroe served as a reliable option in the post and was able to facilitate the offense as well.
That being said, it was time for Monroe to move on. He didn’t fit the role of the power forward in Stan Van Gundy’s system.
Enter Ersan Ilyasova.
Ilyasova should slide right into the four and start alongside Andre Drummond, who has basically been handed the keys to the franchise. Drummond’s development will decide how far this Pistons’ core can go, and the play of Ilyasova has a big effect on Drummond. For Drummond to reach his full potential, Ilyasova must be able to shoot efficiently.
The 6-foot-9, 235 pound Turkish native is a stretch four at heart. Ilyasova is a career 37 percent shooter from behind the three-point line, and 34 percent of his field goal attempts last season were threes.
Ilyasova will bring perhaps the most important trait to Van Gundy’s offense: floor spacing. Ilyasova can slide over to either the small forward or center position, but shoots best from the four. His three-point percentage was the highest last season when on the floor with point guard Michael Carter-Williams, guard/forward Khris Middleton, guard O.J. Mayo and center Zaza Pachulia.
This lineup is similar to what the Pistons should employ next year. Reggie Jackson is a much better offensive threat than Carter-Williams and shot 33 percent from beyond the arc in 27 games with the Pistons. For comparison, Carter-Williams shot an icy 14 percent from three last year with the Bucks.
Guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Mayo were both similar from deep last season, and though Middleton is a far better shooter than the newly acquired Marcus Morris, Morris should be able to hold his own.
Drummond is in another league compared to Pachulia, so no need to elaborate here. Drummond also had his best offensive stretches when Anthony Tolliver was on the floor, not Monroe. Tolliver, of course, can shoot the three and space the floor.
Ilyasova performed best in a lineup with one big down low, two shooters on the wings and a point guard who can distribute. Now, in Detroit, he’ll be working with two guys in Morris and Caldwell-Pope that can stretch the floor, a point guard who can score and facilitated the offense well in his short time with the Pistons and a young, talented center who works well with the pick-and-roll.
The Pistons need Andre Drummond to realize his full potential if this core is going to become a contender. But for that to happen, Drummond needs shooters around him. Jackson, Caldwell-Pope and Morris can all space the floor but Greg Monroe could not. Perhaps Ilyasova can.
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