With Paul George and Monta Ellis both being turnover machines themselves, adding Jeff Teague to the mix could create serious ball-control problems for the Indiana Pacers.
The Indiana Pacers had the 11th highest number of turnovers in 2015-16 with 1,219. Paul George and Monta Ellis committed over one-third of those turnovers, with George finishing fifth in the NBA in turnovers at 265.
Monta Ellis wasn’t much better, tying with Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat for 19th with 203. George’s and Ellis’ turnover rates were 13.6% and 15.4%, respectively.
This isn’t necessarily an issue.
The league’s best players generally are among the league leaders in turnovers. Steph Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant all feature in the top 10.
But this season the Pacers will be adding even more turnovers to their starting lineup.
Jeff Teague turned over the ball 218 times, at a 16.2% turnover rate, for the Atlanta Hawks in 2016, good for 15th on the turnover list. In contrast, George Hill had just 101 and turned over the ball only 11.1% of the time last year with Indiana.
This gives Indiana three high-turnover ballhandlers on the perimeter, meaning that Nate McMillan will have to find a way to keep their tendencies from derailing too many possessions.
If George, Ellis, and Teague have the same number of turnovers next year as they did in 2015-16, the trio will have 107 more turnovers than the George, Ellis, and George Hill trio combined for in 2016.
Teague’s turnover rate is also higher than the other point guards on the Pacers squad.
Aaron Brooks turned over the ball 14.2% of the time while playing with the Chicago Bulls last year, and Joe Young’s turnover rate was 15.5% in his rookie season.
There is some good news on the turnover front, however. Two other newcomers — Al Jefferson and Thaddeus Young — have a history of protecting the ball.
Jefferson turns the ball over so infrequently, in fact, that his 8.26% ranks him in third place among active players in turnover rate, according to Basketball-Reference. He is also fifth on the career leaders list (which dates back to the 1977-78 season).
Young isn’t far behind. His career 10.1% rate places him 11th on the active list and 48th on the career list.
As an aside, there is one former Pacer who is above them both:
Here are some hints:
- He has worn San Antonio Spurs and Washington Wizards uniforms.
- He’s a bench player.
- He played for the Pacers for one season.
That would be …
Rasual Butler. His career turnover percentage is only 8.4%. He currently is still a free agent having been cut by the Spurs in March, but per DJ Siddiqi of CBS Sports, Butler had a tryout with the Minnesota Timberwolves scheduled for the week of September 4.
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Although Young’s turnover percentage in 2016 was slightly higher at 11.6%, Jefferson’s turnover rate hasn’t been higher than 7.6% since the 2011 season. In comparison, Ian Mahinmi turned over the ball at a 15.6% rate in 2015-16, and Jordan Hill’s turnover rate was 13.2%.
Other Pacers also have a history of protecting the ball.
Even though C.J. Miles isn’t on the active or current NBA leaderboard list, he is the Pacers career leader for turnover percentage at 8.9%. Miles’ 9.2% turnover rate led the way for the Pacers in 2016. Glenn Robinson III and Myles Turner weren’t too far behind with 9.7% and 10.3%, respectively.
There also could be a way to spin last year’s numbers as less negative for Paul George and Monta Ellis.
One might argue that the turnover rates of PG and Ellis in may have been affected by becoming acclimated to new teammates. George had a turnover rate of just 12.5% in 2013-14, and he played only six games in 2014. Upon his full-season return, George Hill was the only Pacers starter who PG had played major minutes alongside previously. (Ian Mahinmi had also been around for awhile but always came off the bench.)
As for Monta, he turned over the ball at only a 11.2% rate in 2015 while with the Dallas Mavericks. This followed his first-year rate of 15.2% with the Mavericks, so hopefully Ellis can have a similar turnover percentage drop in his second year with the Pacers.
Teague, however, may also experience the adjustment pains that joining a new team brings. It doesn’t help that he brings a career percentage turnover rate of 16.4% to the Pacers. He also hasn’t had a turnover percentage under 16% in four seasons.
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So with Teague becoming the Pacers’ new starting point guard, it will be critical for George and Ellis to lower their turnovers and turnover percentages.