Indiana Pacers: While other NBA players struggle, Myles Turner is staying ready

Some NBA players have struggled, like many of us, to adapt to a homebound lifestyle. Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers is staying ready no matter the circumstances.

Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner is staying ready no matter what is thrown his way. Social distancing or not, Turner is staying ready to compete whenever the next game will be.

Be honest, if you’ve suddenly had to start working from home or spend more time than you usually do cooped up indoors (thanks for doing your part to flatten the COVID-19 curve!) you probably have struggled in some areas to adjust to a homebound lifestyle.

It’s OK! These times of adjustment and lifestyle changes are taking a toll on all of us. All we can do is press on and try to do our best.

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For some NBA players, the adjustment to not being able to get into practice facilities and go through the normal routine has been tough. Specifically, JaVale McGee and Danny Green talked about this on Green’s podcast, Inside The Green Room. 

Green had this to say about the adjustment to training from home (h/t to Silver Screen and Roll for transcription):

"“Yeah I spent all last night ordering a bunch of gym stuff that I didn’t think I’d ever need. I got a crib where it’s like ‘oh, you could make this into a gym’ and I was like ‘nah, what do I need that for? We’ve got a gym we go to.’ In times like this you can’t get to a da– gym, so you’ve got to create one in your house. Find some dumbells that can change numbers, some flooring, a floor mat."

Myles Turner, during a recent Q&A on the NBA’s official Twitter account, talked about what he’s doing with his time off, and training and staying game ready was one of the first things he mentioned:

"“I’m blessed and fortunate enough to be in the position I’m at, I have all the resources I need to work out and get shots up and just be around my family.”"

Turner also noted he’s spending time with family, working on puzzles, and “kicking it”, including checking out some new shows on Netflix. But it is encouraging that Turner already had the things in place at his house to stay in game shape and stay ready.

At this point, it’s a huge unknown as far as when the NBA season will return and what it will look like. The way the NBA goes from here has massive impacts on the league and will have runoff impacts on the draft and free agency. It could be so that teams and players don’t have much time to prepare before games kick back up.

Pacers fans saw firsthand how being away from the game for an extended period can cause rust. Victor Oladipo wasn’t looking like his usual self when he came back from injury this year. Granted, he had been away from the game for a year and was recovering from surgery, but each player will have to get reacclimated to the grind once games are back. How long that process takes for each player may be determined by their daily home regiment.

Any advantage possible will give a huge edge. Having a hoop, having the home gym, these are the real difference-makers in the time of social distancing for the NBA.