Pacers Rank: Myles Turner doesn’t look comfortable on offense
By Ben Gibson
Myles Turner isn’t playing as well as we hoped after coming off his injury, but it isn’t time to panic for the Indiana Pacers.
The realities and growing pains of this season became clear over the last four games as the Indiana Pacers went 1-3.
The loss to the Houston Rockets was expected, but another blown lead and generally being put in their place by the New Orleans Pelicans and Detroit Pistons were stronger reminders of Indiana’s weaknesses.
On top of that, Myles Turner just doesn’t look like himself. We’ve complained before about coach Nate McMillan not getting him the ball more, but there are certain things Turner is doing differently on offense that might play a role.
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Part of his bland play may just come from getting back in rhythm, but it isn’t what we expect from Turner.
But there are silver linings on those cl.0.ouds. Victor Oladipo bounced back from two games shooting below 40% to shooting 22 of 47 in his last two games. Getting back in the paint and scoring on the run helped power the resurgence.
Domantas Sabonis missed two games with a calf injury but averaged 12.5 points and 7 rebounds a game in a reserve role.
Oladipo remains on top of our player rankings, but there was plenty of a movin’ and shakin’ behind him.
VICTOR OLADIPO. 1. Victor Oladipo is back to doing what he does best, averaging 48% from the floor and 43.8% from range (on four attempts a game). His 22.3 points lead the way for the Pacers while he also manages to grab 4.3 rebounds and hand out 3.3 assists per a game. (Last Week: 1). SG. Indiana Pacers
2. He is still the backup center, but Domantas Sabonis’ 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds a game aren’t too shabby no matter when he enters the game. He still struggles with fouls from time to time, but that’s what young bigs do. (Last Week: 4). PF/C. Indiana Pacers. DOMANTAS SABONIS
PF. Indiana Pacers. THADDEUS YOUNG. 3. His numbers took a hit thanks to his clunker of a performance against the Rockets, but Young is back to hitting 3-pointers, leading the team, and being the connective tissue these Pacers need. (Last Week: 3)
4. Turner isn’t playing badly, but he isn’t himself right now. (Last Week: 2). C. Indiana Pacers. MYLES TURNER
Indiana Pacers. BOJAN BOGDANOVIC. 5. Bojan is second in scoring with 13.3 points a game over the last week as he continues scoring in transition and on fast breaks. His 3-point percentage “dipped” down to 45.5% in the last week thanks to the Rockets game, but he is still a major cog in Indiana’s offense. (Last Week: 5). SF
Indiana Pacers. CORY JOSEPH. 6. Cory Joseph has more points and assists in the last week than Darren Collison in the last week at 8 points and 5 assists a game. (Last Week: 7). PG
Indiana Pacers. LANCE STEPHENSON. 7. The Good Lance is winning the battle as of late, thanks to his 8.3 points, 6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists a game. Lance Stephenson and Cory Joseph discovered how to co-exist, and both of their games are better for it. (Last Week: 8). SG
8. When the offense gets bogged down, Darren Collison can’t be himself. He only averaged 7.8 points and 4.5 assists in the last four games. (Last Week: 6). PG. Indiana Pacers. DARREN COLLISON
AL JEFFERSON. 9. Moderate Sized Al had his moments in the last week as he appeared in three of Indiana’s games. His 8.3 points are solid, especially on 62.5% shooting. Those numbers are, however, slightly exaggerated thanks to a 19 point, 6 rebound outing against the Pistons. (Last Week: 11). C. Indiana Pacers
PF. Indiana Pacers. TJ LEAF. 10. Injuries to others opened the door for more minutes to start the season, but and injury of his own and the return of Myles Turner cut down on T.J. Leaf’s opportunities. He is averaging 3.3 points in 10.8 minutes a game while continuing to shoot the ball well. (Last Week: 9)
11. Looks like it is back to mostly garbage time minutes for Joey Buckets. (Last Week: 10). PG. Indiana Pacers. JOE YOUNG
Next: Lance Stephenson's most absurd moments
The Pacers head south to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, return home to host the Detroit Pistons on Friday, and then do a back-to-back in Florida with the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat.