The Utah Jazz are reportedly signing free agent forward Ersan Ilyasova to a veterans minimum deal, per ESPN’s Jordan Schultz. The 12-year veteran has already gone through COVID-19 testing protocols, and will be able to join Utah for the second half of the season.
Ilyasova last played for the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2019-20 season, where he averaged 6.6 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from deep on two attempts per game. The Bucks waived him back in November before the season started, and the 6-foot-9 forward hasn’t played since. He’ll give the Jazz some additional depth in the frontcourt, not that they really need it with Rudy Gobert, Derrick Favors and Georges Niang all splitting a brunt of the power forward and center minutes.
Adding Ilyasova will also give the Jazz yet another weapon that can knock down 3s at a high clip as he’s a career 36.5 percent shooter from beyond the arc. Utah has been the third-best 3-point shooting team in the league this season, and adding Ilyasova will only bolster its shooting depth. At 27-9, the Jazz enter the second half of the season with the best record in the league and currently sit atop the Western Conference. They’ve looked nearly unstoppable in the first half, and they’ll need to keep their foot on the gas in order to secure the top spot in the West for the playoffs.
While Ilyasova certainly won’t see a ton of minutes, he’s capable of knocking down shots when called upon, and you can never have too many of those players on the roster.
Courtesy: CBS Sports
