Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner once again was picked for the Team USA national team training camp.
He won’t win any hardware this year, but Myles Turner showed the Indiana Pacers that he is one of the best defensive centers in the NBA. Now, he hopes to show Team USA that they need him to defender the rim in this year’s basketball World Cup in China.
Turner will go up against Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond, Kevin Love, Brook Lopez, and Paul Millsap for the center position on the roster. Outside of Davis and Love, there’s arguably no clear answer to who the next best player is. And with AD and Love being able to play power forward as well, there’s plenty of room for a defensive presence like Turner.
It’s no easy path, however. Turner is in the middle of the pack as far as points and rebounds go. He can stretch the floor when he shoots the 3-pointer, but Lopez and Love shoot 3s more consistently. He is the most accurate 3-point shooter of the group even if he is in the middle as far as the number of attempts.
If Turner makes the last cut, he’ll need to show his defense and shot blocking will matter more than rebounds or points. He’s the best defensive center of the group by far, but with a similarly talented group of players behind Love and Davis, there’s no clear favorite.
If nothing else, the experience is worthwhile for Turner. Being coached, even for a few days, by some of the best coaches in the world is a benefit. Going up against America’s best players can only make him better.
The roster will be cut down to 12 eventually.
From the press release, the full list of players taking part are as follows:
"USA National Team members who are confirmed to participate in the 2019 Las Vegas training camp include: Harrison Barnes (Sacramento Kings); Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards); Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans); Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons); Eric Gordon (Houston Rockets); James Harden (Houston Rockets); Tobias Harris (Philadelphia 76ers); Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers); Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers); Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors); CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers); Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks); Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers); and Kemba Walker (Charlotte Hornets).Added to the 2019-20 USA National Team roster and participating in the August USA National Team training camp are: Kyle Kuzma (Los Angeles Lakers), Brook Lopez (Milwaukee Bucks), Paul Millsap (Denver Nuggets), Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics) and P.J. Tucker (Houston Rockets)."
Whoever makes the US team will meet 31 other teams will meet in China when the tournament begins on Aug 31st. The two-week event will also serve as a qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Good luck, Myles Turner. We’re rooting for you.