Ersan Ilyasova Illness: Updates on Pistons Forward's Status and Return

Detroit Pistons forward Ersan Ilyasova will miss Wednesday night's game against the Denver Nuggets while he recovers from an illness, per Aaron McMann of MLive.com.

Continue for updates.

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Anthony Tolliver to Start in Place of Ilyasova

Wednesday, Feb. 10

Playing in his first year in Detroit, the longtime Milwaukee Buck started in all 52 games he's played this season. Ilyasova has averaged 27.6 minutes per contest, tied for the most per game in his career, while averaging 11.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

Ilyasova missed his first game in 2016 after suffering a thigh injury that kept him out of the lineup on Jan. 30 against the Toronto Raptors. 

With the amount of star power Detroit has on its roster, it's easy to overlook Ilyasova, especially when he plays in the same frontcourt as All-Star big man Andre Drummond, who leads the league in rebounding.

Ilyasova's importance to the Pistons can't go overlooked, though. Not many teams have a stretch power forward who can knock down nearly 37 percent of his three-pointers while scoring in double figures. He's averaging nearly 15 points per 36 minutes, per Basketball-Reference.com.

The absence of the 28-year-old Ilyasova means Tolliver slides into the starting power forward position. Tolliver isn't the rebounder Ilyasova is, but he's a capable three-point shooter who can replace that aspect of Ilyasova's game. Tolliver played 35 minutes in place of Ilyasova on Jan. 30, scoring only five points on 1-of-5 shooting from three-point range.