8 points, 9 seconds
Fansided

Five takeaways from the Indiana Pacers’ first preseason game

By Ryan Eggers

HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 4: Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers shoots the ball against the Houston Rockets during a pre-season game on October 4, 2018 at Toyota Center, in Houston, Texas. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 4: Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers shoots the ball against the Houston Rockets during a pre-season game on October 4, 2018 at Toyota Center, in Houston, Texas. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Domantas Sabonis Indiana Pacers
HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 04: Domantas Sabonis #11 of the Indiana Pacers shoots over Marquese Chriss #0 of the Houston Rockets in the second quarter at Toyota Center on October 4, 2018, in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

Let the Turner vs Sabonis debate begin

As Sabonis grew into an absolute steal from last year’s trade and one of the most important members of the team, a debate that not many people expected to emerge became one of the most polarizing questions of 2018: is Myles Turner or Domantas Sabonis the future of the Pacers frontcourt? And tangentially: could they co-exist?

While one pre-season game isn’t going to provide us with the answers to those questions, it certainly reminded us of why it has been such a contentious issue for the Pacers in the past year. Both players are young studs that will eventually need to get paid. The only way they both get paid by the Pacers is if they prove they can work together in the lineup consistently, which didn’t happen last season for a few reasons (health, experience, etc.). The alternative is that one gets paid and the other gets traded, or simply collects their bag from a different franchise come free agency.

It’s a modern-day Twilight: you have your Team Sabonis, Team Myles, and a few people on the side who write fanfictions about Kyle O’Quinn or whatever. And even better, a mere pre-season game was loads better than any of the four books or five movies that your middle school girlfriend made you sit through.

Sabonis looked as rock-solid as ever in the post against Houston, putting up a clean 15 points and 12 boards, a stat line we’ve grown accustomed to. He also put up one of the highlights of the night with this monstrous block:

Turner’s stat line sagged behind a bit, but he had his moments as well, reaching 11 points on the night and making a highlight play himself:

Overall, both players were able to get theirs, which is a good sign, but it’s going to be a long season ahead of us with these two. Noticeably absent from Myles’ stat line was a three-point attempt. Now in his fourth season, it’s time for him to show that he’s elite in that category – just “good” won’t cut it. With Sabonis as the more poised option in the paint, Turner is going to have to prove why he deserves a big contract at the end of the year, and that includes becoming a consistent threat from deep.

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