The Sixer Sense
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4 Reasons to Aim to Retain Ersan Ilyasova After This Season

By Josh Wilson

Dec 16, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) dribbles past Los Angeles Lakers guard Louis Williams (23) during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Los Angeles Lakers won 100-89. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 16, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) dribbles past Los Angeles Lakers guard Louis Williams (23) during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Los Angeles Lakers won 100-89. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 18, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Dario Saric (9) drives toward the net during the second quarter of the game at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 18, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Dario Saric (9) drives toward the net during the second quarter of the game at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /

A mentoring role

One of the overlooked qualities of Ilyasova at first when he was traded for is that he can be a mentor to Sixers rookie forward Dario Saric.

Saric, who is not new to pro basketball, played for a few years overseas. Most recently, prior to coming over and playing for the Sixers, Saric played for the Anadolu Efes in Turkey, where he garnered a lot of hype leading up to his Sixers debut.

The Saric experiment was an interesting one that hasn’t been tried a whole lot in the NBA. The Sixers drafted Saric and stashed him for a few seasons overseas to let him develop without taking up Sixers cap space or a roster spot.

Must Read: Saric Just Needs Time and Opportunity to Shine

Ilyasova, too, is an international player who is familiar with the culture Saric played in for a few seasons, being Turkish himself (Ilyasova actually played eight games with the Efes during the 2011 NBA lockout).

They both draw a likeness to each other in more than just an international sense, too, though. Ilyasova is a forward that can hit long shots just like Saric has shown he has the ability to. They both stretch the floor decently.

Saric showed that he had tendencies that could make him a stretch four in the NBA while he was in Turkey, but since coming to the NBA, has not really unlocked that potential yet. While there’s still tons of time for Saric to meet that ceiling that he has, Ilyasova could speed along the process by being a mentor to the young Croatian.

Saric has struggled with relationships with some of the American players (he and T.J. McConnell do not seem to like each other a whole lot) and having a player on the team who has gone through some of the same hardships of transitioning to a new country and a new league could really help boost Saric’s morale a ton, and in turn impact his game in a huge way.