Why are you so eager to give up on Myles Turner?

Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner’s spot on The Step Back’s 25 Under 25 is a reminder that the young center is more than what his stat line shows.

Is Myles Turner the 13th best player under the age of 25? The Step Back think so as they slotted the Indiana Pacers center there in their 25 Under 25 countdown. The reasons why he’s there are obvious.

His mid-range and 3-point shooting are above average for a center, and his rim defense holds up well despite the number of times he is called on to defend the rim. He’s the prototypical modern big, though his rebounding certainly needs work.

In Brendon Kleen’s post on Turner, he highlights these areas while noting his physical nature — something we’ve only seen flashes of — must improve for Myles to reach his potential.

But there’s still a segment of fans and critics that aren’t pleased with who Turner is and question if he’ll ever reach that potential he seems close to finding.

It’s easy to forget that behind Karl-Anthony Towns, Turner in the pack of players from their draft class that is in the tier below KAT. When it comes to impact, Turner is at the top of his class despite being picked outside of the top 10.

While his impact isn’t that of Al Horford in Boston, he’s only slightly trailing him as far as points and rebounds are concerned. That’s not to make an apples-to-apples comparison, but to remind that a player’s impact isn’t completely tied to their offensive output.

His rim defense is better than all but some of the NBA’s most-elite centers. If Domantas Sabonis’ defense was better all-around, Turner might be in trouble, but he still provides Indiana a better option on that end of the floor than his fellow young center. If this wasn’t the case, any conversations about moving Turner now would make more sense. But until his Lithuanian yoga partner improves his, it isn’t an obvious choice to drop Turner to the bench or move on from Myles.

And for better or worse, part of what makes Turner an asset offensive in some ways is the fact his usage is 4th among the starters yet his PER was 3rd. He isn’t just taking a bunch of easy shots and merely surviving on that side of the ball. He makes more out of what he is given than other players he shares the court with.

This doesn’t excuse the fact his rebounding is below average or his finishing at the rim must improve. He does need to play more physically and perhaps bulk up more, but to overlook what he does well to diminish what he must improve sometimes is just finding the cloud on a silver lining.

Myles Turner must take that step

Last year as Myles Turner went from the heir apparent of the Pacers to working in the mayor’s office, it was easy to see him as expendable or as a ‘bust’ despite all the reasons the Pacers aren’t in a rush to move their starting center.

Injuries and what felt like massive changes to how the Pacers operated didn’t help Turner last season and partially excuse his minor regression, but they don’t absolve him, either.

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Sabonis has in fact upped the pressure on Turner to where the Texan must make take the next step in his evolution or Myles risk finding himself in serious trade rumors. It’s a decision that Kevin Pritchard and Chad Buchanan are weighing in some part of their minds if they don’t see those improvements this season.

There is no doubt in that but at the same time, his potential as a 3-point shooting big man who can defend the rim isn’t found in every 7-footer. One that fits with the team and even when he’s benched, is there to support his teammates.

All of that can only shield Turner for so long from harsher criticism, including my own, but he isn’t just another center in the NBA. There’s a reason why he keeps getting invited to Team USA camps, and it isn’t his charming personality.

The Indiana Pacers aren’t in a rush to move on from Myles Turner, so why are you?