Utah Jazz: Potential Wing Targets in Case Joe Ingles is Too Expensive

Ersan Ilysova

13.4 PPG, 6 RPG, 1.6 APG, .436 FG%, .361 3pt FG%

The 29-year-old Turkish man has bounced around the league the past couple years. He’s been on five teams the past two seasons, and never really latched on to a steady role until he was traded to Philadelphia last November.

There he averaged 14.8 points (second highest on the team), 5.9 rebounds and splashed a career high two treys per game. Although the 76ers had a miserable 7-22 start with Ilysova, the six-foot ten-inch combo forward was heavily involved in their 11-5 run they had from December 30th to January 30th, upping his scoring average to 16.8 points per game and knocking down 38% of his triples during that stretch.

Not only did he help restore a winning culture in Philadelphia that has been lacking since “The Process” started with Sam Hinkie, but he helped mentor rookie Dario Saric, preparing him for a mini-breakout that has seen him enter the Rookie of the Year race.

Philly traded Ilysova to the Atlanta Hawks at the deadline last February so they could get some value for him rather than letting him walk for nothing as a free agent this summer. Since landing in Atlanta Ilysova has fit right in. Xavier Cooper of Soaring Down South claims that Ilysova has been a “perfect fit” in Atlanta.

"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."

Would Ilysova be the perfect replacement for Ingles? No he wouldn’t. He’s a little redundant with the Jazz already having Joe Johnson playing as a stretch four and Trey Lyles waiting in the wings. If he were to play as a 3 for the Jazz, chances are his shoddy defense wouldn’t be tolerated for 23 minutes a game, but he could make his mark as a glue guy as he has so quickly in Philadelphia and Atlanta.

Would Atlanta just let him go after a half-year rental? They might if they are considering rebuilding, plus they have to pay Paul Millsap and Tim Hardaway Jr. mega dollars in their own respective new contracts. If Atlanta can’t keep Ilysova and Utah can’t keep Ingles, the Jazz should take a hard look at signing the 29-year-old Turkish man who is having a career renaissance.