Myles Turner is simply a different player after the All-Star break

Myles Turner stepped up his game after the All-Star break and is starting to show his development as a third-year center for the Indiana Pacers.

The Myles Turner we saw before the All-Star break wasn’t Myles Turner. That version of Turner wasn’t who the Indiana Pacers expected in his third season as a pro.

It didn’t help his season began with a concussion that sidelined him for seven games. Even in the 32 games in between that injury and the dunk that took him out for another nine, his 13.7 points and 6.3 rebounds a game signified a regression from the season before. His shooting fell below 50% and his 3-point percentage was right at the Mendoza line that is 33%.

Blame the injuries or whatever you wish, but he was underperforming. The idea that Domantas Sabonis could overtake him as the starter was becoming a conversation — at least among fans.

Things started looking up just before the All-Star break when Turner had two of his now 10 double-doubles after returning from injury, but it was far from clear whether he had turned the page.

All-Star Weekend came and the two new Pacers fan favorites — Sabonis and Victor Oladipo — were the ones in the spotlight while Turner was their biggest cheerleader. He is a team player, but I can’t imagine that’s how he pictured his weekend when the season began.

But coming out of the All-Star break, Turner is simply a different player.

In the nine games since his averages jumped to 14 points and 8.6 rebounds a game. His shooting took a jump as well as his averages rose to 53.3% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc.

It’s a small sample size, but it’s clear there is something different about Turner now. The Pacers are miles better when he is on the court, in defense in particular.

But what changed?

Self-evaluation

Myles Turner said after the Utah Jazz game that it was a concerted effort to be a more physical player. From Tyler Smith of IndySportsLegends.com:

"“I’ve had some self-evaluation. After the All-Star break, I made it a goal to be more physical on the glass. I’ve got to make myself more versatile. I can’t just settle for jump shots. I’ve always had a post-game but it’s the mental aspect of it.”"

That mental aspect matters. To paraphrase Sabonis’ college strength and conditioning coach, physicality is a state of mind.

That commitment is showing so far in a number of ways.

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He isn’t being fed the ball more or taking a bigger role, either. So far both his field goals attempted and usage rate are down since the break. He is more efficient than before which is allowing him to do more with fewer opportunities.

One way he has done that is by grabbing more rebounds on offense. While a jump from 1.4 to 2.3 a game may seem small, that’s one more relatively easy opportunity to score.

It was one part of Turner’s game that suffered in the first half of the season and was toward the bottom of the NBA, but in recent games, it became a strength.

Since the break, the Pacers rebound the ball more when he is on the floor. The opposite had been true for most of the season.

While Turner’s post game was often said to not exist before, that statement was misleading. Myles just didn’t go to it often on offense. He is a slightly above average scorer in the post, but among the NBA’s bigs was near the bottom in attempts.

But if he throws in more moves like this reverse pivot, then he might get more comfortable in that position.

On the defensive end, it has helped that he is blocking fewer shots further away from the basket and grabbing more rebounds. Lately, he spends more time near the rim and by doing that he puts himself in a better position to rebound.

Turner is mixing it up closer to the basket. It isn’t just a change in mentality, or just lip-service to the idea. Myles is getting down and dirty, and the Pacers are better off for it.

Next: How good of a defender is Victor Oladipo?

The finesse part of his game is still there as his 3-point shooting  — including going six of nine in the past two games — and mid-range shooting continues to stretch the floor for Indiana. But now instead of merely being a shooting threat, Myles Turner isn’t afraid to fight off opponents for more rebounds and make the paint his home.