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It’s time for Myles Turner to make the leap

By Jesse Smith

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 07: Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers is seen before the game against the Utah Jazz at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 7, 2018 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 conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 07: Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers is seen before the game against the Utah Jazz at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 7, 2018 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 conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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This is the season for Myles Turner to become the star he was destined to become. The Pacers need him to progress to move to the next level.

The time has come, Myles Turner.

When the Pacers drafted the big man, he was hurdled as a high-upside project out of Texas.  He was a raw talent, but as raw as tartar.  Turner served as the future star to accompany Paul George through the latter’s prime seasons.  We didn’t know much about him outside of his one season at Texas that only included seven starts as a Freshman.  Nonetheless, Larry Bird saw enough to use his eleventh overall pick on him, the team’s highest pick since taking George tenth overall in 2010.

The Pacers took on the project with the goofy hairstyle.  After a lot of inconsistency in the big man roles, Turner would end up starting thirty games in his rookie campaign, posting a respectable 10.3 points per game and 5.5 rebounds.  He would start all but one game the next season, improving to 14.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg.  We all know the story, PG wanted out and the Pacers were supposed to be in rebuild mode.

The expectation was for Turner to take over the focal point of the franchise and take the third year leap into stardom.  Well… for Victor Oladipo, last year was personal and he has cemented himself as the centerpiece of the Indiana Pacers.  Turner took all of this in stride and quite frankly has not been given enough credit for this support (i.e. flying to the All-Star Weekend to cheer both Oladipo and Domas Sabonis on). Turner was the victim of some terrible luck with injuries and utilization last season and took what most considered to be a step back in development.

Moving forward into next season, it is clear what the Pacers need to become a contender: Another legitimate star.  It’s time for Turner to become that star.  What exactly are we working with here?

Strengths

Shot Blocking

Last season the Pacers were an abysmal 25th in the league in blocks per game at 4.1.  Turner himself averaged 1.8 swats and the defense looked continuously lost at the rim when he was sidelined.  Turner is an elite shot blocker and has been become an absolute menace to Eastern Conference slashers.  This is where his athleticism is able to shine the most as he is one of the best trailers in the game.  Take a look at this block on some guy named LeBron here.  Paired with a bulldog like Thad Young in the frontcourt, Turner will only continue to sniff out opportunities for a smothered chicken.  There’s actually a list of every player he has blocked and I genuinely feel bad for whoever is going to have to refresh this after every game this season.

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Jump Shooting

Turner has a natural touch that is envied by most NBA big men and guards alike.  His vice early on was having the confidence to let it fly.  His career true shooting percentage sits at 56.6 and has remained fairly consistent throughout his career.  The jump shot is not going anywhere and is still as effective as ever.  Turner’s length makes it easy for him to shoot over pretty much anyone, especially out of the pick and pop.  Larry Bird once admitted he thought Turner was the best shooter on the team.  With Doug McDermott in the mix, that might not the case anymore, but that’s high praise coming from Larry Legend.

Weaknesses

Strength

There’s no secret that Myles Turner has had struggles in traffic offensively.  His game has a lot of finesse and I’m glad that it’s there.  However, to be a true center, there needs to be some aggression.  We saw glimpses of this last season, like when he dropped 21 points on the Lakers after he told the press an anonymous teammate called him soft.

His turnover percentage sat at 11.6 last season with many of them being strips.  This has been a focus heading into his season.  The good news is he seems to be taking this to heart, as evidenced by his updates on Twitter.

Help might be on the way. He strength could be a weakness no longer.

Durability/Consistency

Turner has missed a total of forty games in his first three seasons combined due to injury.  There’s no question I’m worried that injuries are going to slow his progression.  The hope is that a well-conditioned body will take care of some of the non-contact injury risks.  The other good news is that Turner has not had a re-aggravation of an injury.  He seems to heal well without any lingering symptoms.

The other half is the consistency factor, which is difficult to measure due to his injury history.  We all know the frustration of him scoring over twenty a couple games in a row, only to throw up a goose eggs soon after.

Next Steps

Give. Him. The. Ball.

The Pacers are better when Turner is involved in the offense.  In fact, when Turner had at least ten shot attempts in a game the Pacers were 23-13, a .639 win percentage.  Compared to their season winning percentage at .585, it’s safe to say when Turner was getting his grub, the Pacers were feasting too.

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To put that number into perspective, that victory percentage puts the Pacers just north of 52 wins on the season, good enough to take third place in the conference instead of fifth (which would have been a first-round matchup with Miami).

Turner lost a shot attempt per game compared to his 2017 campaign.  Given his TS percentage, with that shot attempt back in 2018 he would have averaged 13.3 ppg instead of 12.7.  That is still not ideal, but we all could have slept a little easier given the injury-filled season he had.

Get him in the right place

If you want a full-analysis on where Turner needs to be spotting-up, I highly recommend our own Ben Pfeifer’s article on how the Pacers can more effectively use Turner’s skill-set on offense.

In short, his mid-range game is virtually unfair to defenses but needs a bit more help making the three ball a consistent weapon.

Believe in him

Turner is an emotional competitor.  I have never once doubted the guy’s heart on the court as you can see it pains him to see the Pacers lose.  A lot of folks lost faith in him this season and many were ready to trade him away for assets.  Keep in mind that he is only 22 years old.  He is a month younger than me.  The three seasons that he has under his belt, not to mention his playoff experience, provide him value as the learning curve is over.  I have all the confidence in the world that this is the year it all comes together.

Next: Can the Pacers win a championship with McMillan at the helm?

As strange as it seems, Turner is the Pacers longest-tenured player on the roster (consecutively, Darren).  He takes a lot of pride in being an Indiana Pacer.  It’s not time to give up on Myles Turner.  It’s just time for him to make the leap.

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