The Good
There are a lot of good things Myles Turner brings to this basketball team that in turn makes him an invaluable piece. The first and most obvious is his shot-blocking ability and the way he can be a defensive anchor on the floor. Turner is one of the most elite shot-blockers in the entire NBA. He has been in the top 3 in blocked shots per game four of the last five seasons with him leading the league in ‘18-19.
Due to his shot-blocking ability, Myles is the anchor of the defense. Even if he doesn’t block the shot he makes players think twice when going to the rim and alters a lot of shots. This is something Turner can do that Sabonis and no other big on the team can do.
Offensively Myles’ range helps space the floor for the Pacers. Sabonis may be the one that benefits from this the most as it gives him more room to maneuver in the paint without having to worry about a lurking center. Drive kicks and pick and pops are Myles bread and butter when it comes to getting open long-range shots(anywhere from a deep two to 3 point shot).
The last topic I’ll touch on is that Myles Turner had his best playoffs to date despite the team being swept. Turner averaged 15.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 4 blocks per game all while having a 63 percent effective field goal percentage. That’s a massive improvement over the playoff numbers he had last season.
Also, Turner had the elusive 20 and 10 games in the playoffs. I have so longed for this to happen for him. I’ve always thought if the Pacers wanted to take the next step Myles would have to start having a few games where he gets 20 plus points and 10 plus rebounds in a playoff game. He finally has one under his belt.