Myles Turner’s defense is better than ever — and he is grabbing more rebounds

Myles Turner’s rebounding numbers have never been as revealing as his overall defensive impact, but the Indiana Pacers center has improved this season when cleaning the glass.

Myles Turner’s calling card on defense is his rim protection and when it comes to counting stats, his blocks steal the show. But the Indiana Pacers’ center has never been an overly impressive rebounder as far as the stats are concerned.

The team isn’t particularly great at rebounding — the team’s rebounding percentage is only slightly better with noted double-double artist Domantas Sabonis on the floor — yet their defense is still ranked fifth in the NBA, even after losing Victor Oladipo.

This should probably tell you something about the sometimes misleading value of rebounds, but it still is one area of Turner’s defensive game that isn’t as strong.

Some context, if you don’t mind: There are some factors that hurt his rebounding chances, such as offensively he is used often in pick and pop situations or positioned above the arc to stretch the defense. It also matters that his main job is guarding the rim, not cleaning up the miss.

It’s also worth noting despite Sabonis’ sometimes gaudy rebounding numbers, his both players allow a similar amount of points in the paint.

Turner’s career-high came in his second season with 7.3 a game, but his 7.1 this season will be his second-best in his career so far. His 13.9 rebound percentage is a career high, though. That means regardless of counting stats, he is grabbing more rebounds per 100 possessions.

But once again, that doesn’t entirely explain away some of his past numbers. His rebounding ability is around the NBA average this season and in previous ones is was slightly lower, but the good news for him and the Pacers is that it is improving.

Myles Turner is more aggressive on the glass

In the past, Turner was guilty of ball watching when shots went up. Instead of moving his feet or even boxing out, he sometimes was stationary when the ball bounced off the rim. Though he was boxing out more last season, it wasn’t leading to more rebounds for him, and only slightly more than the team.

What’s really changed is his aggression when grabbing rebounds. It isn’t always there every night, but as we saw against the Oklahoma City Thunder and in other games, it makes a difference.

He wasn’t watching or waiting as much as he has in the past. He was simply attacking the ball off the glass.

While some of the rebounds the Thunder were willing to surrender, it’s aggression like this that often powers Turner’s better rebounding nights. His 13.9 rebounding percentage is still only around the league average (though somewhat low for a center), but he is still showing improvement.

But don’t lose sight of the bigger picture.

Turner might not be an ‘elite’ rebounder, but it’s clear he doesn’t need to grab them to make his impact felt. When Myles is off the court, Indiana’s typical starters are nearly five points worse per 100 possession, and nearly 10 points worse in the post-Oladipo era.

Yes, it would be great if Turner could show that aggression more often and simply was a better rebounder. However, to obsess over his rebounding numbers and not notice his overall impact on the Pacers is missing the forest for the trees.