Benny Sieu – USA Today
Entering his fourth season in the league, many thought Ersan Ilyasova would be a break out fantasy basketball option in 2013. However, he hasn’t found the stroke from behind the arc and has had an overall disappointing season; that is until Saturday night.
Ilyasova, who hasn’t been able to sink baskets all season, scored a season-high 27 points on 10-14 shooting from the field. Not only did he put up a high in points, he also tied a season-high with 14 rebounds with four assists, a block, and just one turnover.
These are the kind of games that many expected of Ilyasova all season, but this is just the third time he has scored over 20 points all year and only the sixth time that he has recorded double-digit rebounds. Along with all of that, his four assists ties a season-high, as does his three three-pointers made.
The 6-10 forward made a name for himself with his impressive shooting from behind the arc, but this season he has not found his shot until tonight. Ilyasova was only behind Brandon Jennings in points for the Milwaukee Bucks and was an impressive + 14 on the night.
Ilyasova outscored every Portland Trail Blazer in the win, dominating counterpart Nicolas Batum, who shot just 2-9 from the field. The game comes off the heels of a bad four-point, five-rebound performance on Thursday for Ilyasova. He had shown some life beforehand, but has still been inconsistent.
Owned in only 49.5 percent of ESPN leagues, if Ilyasova is on the waiver wire, he is worth an add in most formats if available. There is a chance he could go on a hot streak, as long as he gets consistent minutes, so he would be a wise player to trade for now.
Rich Arleo is a fantasy sports expert with Rants Sports. Follow him on Twitter @rarleo and add him on Google+
