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Concerning signs for the Pacers pairing of Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner

By Ben Pfeifer

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - APRIL 21: Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) battles Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) for a rebound in the first quarter. The Indiana Pacers host the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of Round 1 of the Eastern Conference Playoffs at Bankers Life Field House in Indianapolis on April 21, 2019. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - APRIL 21: Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) battles Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) for a rebound in the first quarter. The Indiana Pacers host the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of Round 1 of the Eastern Conference Playoffs at Bankers Life Field House in Indianapolis on April 21, 2019. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – APRIL 21: Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) battles Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) for a rebound in the first quarter. The Indiana Pacers host the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of Round 1 of the Eastern Conference Playoffs at Bankers Life Field House in Indianapolis on April 21, 2019. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – APRIL 21: Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) battles Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) for a rebound in the first quarter. The Indiana Pacers host the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of Round 1 of the Eastern Conference Playoffs at Bankers Life Field House in Indianapolis on April 21, 2019. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

Kevin Pritchard said Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner are the future of the Indiana Pacers, but questions remain how well they can work together.

Back in March, I wrote this piece, analyzing the play of Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis in a win against Oklahoma City. The duo didn’t normally play together late in games, but this game was different. Indiana pulled out a thrilling late-game victory and we got valuable analysis to the inner workings of the Turner-Sabonis frontcourt.

They had some success playing together and they have their issues. In the regular season, Turner and Sabonis shared the court for a brief 429 total minutes, stymieing opposing offenses (96.5 defensive-rating) and struggling on to score (99.6 offensive-rating). It doesn’t really matter if Turner and Sabonis can play together in the regular season. If they can’t play well against opposing elites in the playoffs, employing both bigs is pointless.

Against the Celtics, the Pacers treated us with valuable footage of the pairing against one of the East’s best teams. Putting it lightly, Boston dominated Turner and Sabonis lineups. In 32 total minutes, the Pacers posted awful offensive (75.7), defensive (104.3) and net (-28.6) ratings.

Their lack of chemistry as a unit was clear, highlighted by their game one third-quarter meltdown. When Thad Young picked up his fourth foul, Nate McMillan thrust Sabonis into the game earlier than usual. Their rhythm was clearly off and Boston stormed back into the game, taking a commanding lead.

As of now, it would seem Turner and Sabonis cannot coexist in a playoff setting. While we don’t have nearly enough evidence to give that blanket statement any credence (especially considering the Pacers were without their All-NBA primary initiator), there are some important takeaways about why this duo failed and what can be done to improve their success.

So let’s dive into the film, break down Turner and Sabonis’ performance against Boston and take a look into the future of the Pacers.

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