5 Pacers Training Camp Battles to Watch Out For

Myles Turner vs. Ian Mahinmi

This is the battle that the majority of Indiana Pacers fans focus on. Who will be the starting center? Will it be the 19-year-old rookie Myles Turner? Or will career back-up big man Ian Mahinmi earn the spot?

That is not a decision that will be easily made. After what Turner showcased in the Orlando Summer League (insert the usual summer league doesn’t mean anything disclaimer here) the Pacers brass may be thinking that Turner has more to offer a whole lot earlier than expected.

At the University of Texas he was misused and actually only started seven games. That’s right, Rick Barnes (no longer employed at Texas) only started the top big man recruit behind Karl Anthony-Towns and Jahlil Okafor seven times. We won’t even get into the clustered offensive sets that Texas ran.

Needless to say the rookie has been more impressive than most originally expected. His ability to both protect the rim and stretch the floor could be revolutionary. The biggest knock on him starting is he isn’t ready and he has a lack of experience. Well, what’s the best cure for inexperience? Playing time.

Comparing him and Mahinmi is not easy. There is no exact method to say who will fare better. Who knows if Turner can replicate his summer league dominance or even hold his own against professional guys? Well, with Mahinmi you know exactly what you are getting.

He has always been a great defender. He uses both his size and athleticism to contest shots and he has also become a great asset when considering the Frank Vogel method of verticality. He finishes well around the rim (when he can catch a pass) and has provided a great boost off of the Pacers bench in the past.

The truth of the matter is he has never averaged more than 19 minutes per game in his seven seasons in the NBA. His career PER is a mere 11.8 and outside of 5 feet his shooting percentages drop drastically. In fact, he has shot just 38% from the field over his career on attempts between just 3 to 10 feet.

Maybe there is way he becomes an extremely efficient starter. Maybe the numbers lie and he averages a double-double. Those chances however, are very unlikely. Maybe the starting unit doesn’t require much additional offense with George Hill, Monta Ellis, and Paul George taking the majority of the shots. There are just a lot of maybes when trying to consider him a starter. He has been a model of consistency in his time with the Pacers as the back-up to Roy Hibbert — and he may very well earn the chance to start due to that fact.

Time will tell with who Frank and Company decide to go with. For now, just hope Turner plays like he did during the summer in Orlando, and is simply too good, too soon for this to be a true contest.

Next: CJ Miles vs. Chase Budinger