3 takeaways from the Indiana Pacers first half
Myles Turner is a rising star
He might not have known it at the time, but the 26 and 12 performance that Myles Turner delivered on a December 10 win over Washington was the beginning of the best three week stretch of his career. Over the next eleven games, Turner would average 16.7 points (with shooting splits of 55 FG%, 53.3 3P%, 66.7 FT%), 9 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game. It is a one-of-a-kind versatile stat line, no player has a similar combination of numbers over the course of this season. Turner was a force offensively and defensively, he played with the consistent aggression many felt he had been lacking throughout his career.
The revelatory stretch came to a cracking halt when Turner broke his nose. He has yet to see enough court time to accurately gauge how much his nose will effect him, if at all. But another lesson learned – this time in Turner’s absence – is how valuable he has been to the Indiana Pacers this season.
The Pacers defense has cratered without Turner this season. With Turner on the floor, the Pacers allow 101.2 points per game, 9.1 Points better than the league average for points allowed. In the five games without Turner the Pacers, almost unarguably the leagues best defense, are allowing 117.6 points per game. 117.6!
Normally, teams tread lightly against the Indiana Pacers defense. The Indiana defense shuts down drives to the basket and the Pacers rebounding wipes away second chance opportunities. Opposing teams resort to just trying to shoot over the Indiana defense instead of bothering with the fruitless endeavor of trying to pierce inside. The fulcrum that the defense pivots on is Myles Turner. Without Turner, the main deterrent is gone, and the Pacers become not only vulnerable over the top but at the rim and everywhere in between. It’s a similar situation when Roy Hibbert was at his peak. Hibbert at his best eliminated attacking the basket as an option of opposing teams. Teams had to settle for jumpshots and the Pacers defense thrived.
Now, Turner brings much more to the table than Hibbert did (like offense), but removing either from the defensive end dramatically decreased the margin of error for their respective iterations of the Indiana Pacers. Both on and off the court Turner’s presence in undeniable now, if he maintains this level of play, his new contact will immediately become a bargain.