Indiana Pacers: Stop worrying about Myles Turner’s rebounding numbers

Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner is off to a great start in 2020-21 for the Indiana Pacers.

Looking at the box scores, Myles Turner may not be having the best start. But if you are actively watching the Indiana Pacers, you should recognize that Myles has been incredible on both ends of the court. Once his shots begin to fall, we will see an even more valuable version of the NBA’s best shot blocker.

Through seven games this season, Turner is shooting a career-high 4.9 three-point shots per game, which was a trend that everyone should have seen coming. He is getting good looks and taking his shots when left open on the perimeter. When shots aren’t falling, he drives to the bucket and finishes at the rim.

We have already seen him take over games on both ends this season, particularly the final minutes of Monday’s win in New Orleans. Turner had a key block on Zion Williamson and hit the game-tying three with just seconds remaining. But to some fans, that’s still not enough. Turner is only averaging 5.6 rebounds per game, which has many fans upset about his aggressiveness on the glass.

If Turner is constantly affecting shots at the rim and closing out on shooters and cutters, he takes himself out of the picture for rebounds. He leads the league with 3.6 blocks per game and his lead is substantial. The next closest rim protector is Chris Boucher, who is averaging 2.2 swatted attempts per game. The Pacers allow Turner to be aggressive on shooters because they have very good rebounders around him.

Domantas Sabonis is one of the best pure rebounders in the league, averaging 11.3 per game and the backcourt duo of Victor Oladipo and Malcolm Brogdon combine for an additional 9.9 rebounds each night. Rebounding is a team effort and the Pacers understand that it is not Myles’ strongest asset, so they have found ways to maximize his skill set to help the team in every way possible.

He contests shots at the rim and boxes out for others to come get the boards to lead transition a bit more smoothly. This is not even all that new of a concept as we have seen other teams do this a lot recently. Big men will box out and allow the guards to rack up rebounds so the offense can get out in a hurry and get quick baskets on the other end. The Pacers do this a bit, allowing Vic, Brogdon, or Sabonis to crash the glass and lead the break.

The blame is almost always put on Myles when Indiana gets outrebounded, which is not always inaccurate. He does fail to box out at times or even get a body on someone else, which leads to easy points for the opponent. But for the most part, Turner does what he is asked. New Orleans dominated the glass on Monday, but they also have an incredible rebounding duo in their lineup that will give a lot of teams problems.

So, let’s all pump the brakes on looking at the box scores and appreciate Myles Turner for his role and impact on this team this season. The Pacers are 5-2 and he is a huge reason as to why they are near the top of the Eastern Conference.