As Myles Turner ends his FIBA commitment and begins looking ahead to the Indiana Pacers’ season, what are his main goals heading into the year?
In a result that shocked the basketball-following world, Myles Turner and Team USA fell to Team France in the quarterfinal of the FIBA World Cup on Wednesday, 89-79. The loss ends Team USA’s stay in China for the tournament, and now shifts Turner’s focus to his next basketball endeavor: the 2019-20 Indiana Pacers season.
Turner is operating on the heels of his stellar 2018-19 campaign, one in which he led the league in blocks and improved most of his counting and efficiency stats from a slump year prior. His point total was nothing to write home about, but his production on offense was mostly fine in conjuction with his elite defense and rim protection.
What proved most promising was another step in the right direction of his three-point shooting. Turner has improved his percentage from deep each year he has been in the league, and 2018-19 saw that number stretch to 38.8%, near-elite territory for a big man. There’s much left to be desired in volume, though, as Turner only took 2.6 perimeter shots a game (he took 2.4 the year prior).
With the complete roster overhaul that Kevin Pritchard performed this offseason, Turner steps into a role as one of the veteran leaders at age 23: he has the longest tenure of any current Pacer. He also has a new frontcourt partner in Domantas Sabonis, a change that will surely necessitate adjustments.
With all of this in mind, where should Turner’s goals be set for the 2019-20 season? In what areas should he be improving, and to what extent? In this exercise, we’ll be exploring the three most prescient areas of improvement for the big fella and how they factor in to Pacers improvement at large.