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Myles Turner headed for a breakout season? A few GMs think so

By Ben Gibson

INDIANAPOLIS - SEPTEMBER 25: Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers poses for a portrait during the Pacers Media Day at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on September 25, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and condition of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS - SEPTEMBER 25: Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers poses for a portrait during the Pacers Media Day at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on September 25, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and condition of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Indiana Pacers’ Myles Turner is tied for second with Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks as the player most likely to have a breakout season in NBA.com’s GM Survey.

Myles Turner now carries the weight of the Indiana Pacers on his shoulders, as well as lofty expectations for the third-year player.

With Paul George gone, the Pacers hope Turner is in line for a breakout season to establish himself as the future of the franchise. He may have a few veterans around him, but Turner is seen as the leader of the team now and is expected to take a leap as a player.

But it isn’t just the front office in Indianapolis or the fans of the Pacers who expect that. At least four GMs in the NBA expect this to be a big season for Myles, and not one of them is named Kevin Pritchard.

How do we know this?

John Schuhmann of NBA.com released the annual NBA.com GM survey, with Turner and Kristaps Porzingis sharing second place while Karl-Anthony Towns had six votes. GMs can’t vote for themselves, so we know the votes for Myles didn’t come from anyone in his own organization.

Regardless of who has the biggest breakout (and hasn’t Towns already ‘broke out’?) season, there are several reasons to believe this season will be Turner’s chance to catapult himself into the national and international spotlight.

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While taking over as the alpha dog in Indiana means added pressure for Myles, it also means more opportunities. Instead of the team looking at George or anyone else in the clutch, they now will turn their eyes to Turner. Instead of facilitating someone else’s game, Myles should get more chances to grow into his own as the Pacers closer.

Another reason for the optimism comes from what we’ve seen from Myles so far. He’s grown from a rookie making costly mistakes to an experienced leader who can avoid errors as well as erasing the ones made by his teammates. As 21 years old, he is only expected to add to his already exceptional game.

When you compare statistics from his first two seasons in the NBA, Turner looks like Chris Bosh and Shawn Kemp in their early years. Myles even played a smaller role in his early seasons but had a more significant impact overall than those two. The big question is how does Turner’s game hold up as the focus of the Pacers’ opponents turns to him. We’ll only know the answer to that question once we see it play out on the floor this season.

And finally — but far from scientific — good players tend to make a jump in the third or fourth season in the NBA. Myles grew as a player the past two seasons, but now is when he should start putting it all together. He is far from reaching his peak and an average season now shouldn’t be any sort of indictment on him, but the opportunity to breakout is presenting itself.

Next: Game outlook: Indiana Pacers vs. Milwaukee Bucks

While a few other GMs see Myles Turner as the player Larry Bird saw him as when he drafted him, many now must wish they didn’t let him fall to the 11th pick.

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