VITALS: 6-9, 235, Ulker Istanbul (Turkey) OVERVIEW: Ilyasova, one of the top young shooters in Turkey, made 47 percent (17-of-36) of his shots in 11 games in the Turkish League. This past season, Ilyasova averaged 4.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in 12.5 minutes for Ulker, posting season highs of 16 points in 27 minutes vs. Raks ITU. Ilyasova excelled in the European Championship for Junior Men (Under-18) in 2004, averaging 17.4 points and nine rebounds in 25.8 minutes over five games. LIKELY DRAFT POSITION: Bottom half of first round. Ilyasova makes sense for any team that does not need him to produce right away. Indiana at 17 is one possible place for him. Denver at 20 or 22 is another. COMPARATIVE UPSIDE: Andrei Kirilenko COMPARATIVE DOWNSIDE: Scott Padgett ROLE PROJECTION: Long-term project; scoring small forward. POSITIVES: Ilyasova can flat-out shoot from the perimeter. He has the kind of stroke that defenders honor and helps the whole team, since opponents won't dare double-team off him. As a defender, he uses his athletic ability to his advantage to block shots and sky for rebounds. His rebounding comes when he outquicks opponents to the ball, not from overpowering anybody. SHORTCOMINGS: At 210 pounds, Ilyasova is very light and his frame doesn't indicate he will gain lots of weight in the future. He also has had some injuries in Europe, raising the question of how durable he might be in the future. His current recovery from a serious ankle injury is one of the questions about him.
