Myles Turner has been a constant focal point of criticism for Indiana Pacers fans. While some of these flaks are constructive criticisms in hopes of helping him realize his potential with his unique skillset, most of these are overblown and tend to negate what he brings to the table.
As a result, the NBA’s leading shot blocker also finds himself in a barrage of trade scenarios for the franchise, more so in the present given the bold changes that are starting to rage down upon the Pacers after a season which saw them underachieve and fail miserably. The sundry results of Indiana’s big man tandem in Turner and Domantas Sabonis pushes perhaps the biggest question in demand of a resolute answer this offseason.
Defensive-minded Myles Turner can still be a menacing offensive weapon for the Indiana Pacers
However, without offense to the trade-one-of-them savants, the big man experiment is on track to remain brewing in Indiana, at least until the margins of contractual foresight. Kevin Pritchard himself has already stated in his exit interview that the ownership and the front office like the pairing of the two varied, yet talented, big men.
It’s also possible that it’s too early or arbitrary to drop the hammer on the pairing which, at this juncture, is nearer to Myles Turner. With the common motifs in the team’s offense and defense in recent years, there are still ways for him to make an ample leap especially on offense. Here are four of them.
Indiana Pacers: Myles Turner should fully embrace the gunner role
Part and parcel of what makes Myles Turner such a unique commodity for the Indiana Pacers among the league’s big men is that he’s essentially a 3-and-D center. While his otherworldly prowess at swatting shots and game-changing presence as a rim deterrent is no secret, his three-point stroke is above average for a center.
This season, he’s made some strides as a three-point marksman. At 4.4 per game, Turner attempted the most threes per outing in his career this season. While he only converted 33.5 percent of his triple, it’s clear that Myles is best used as a stretch five next to his frontcourt partner in Sabonis.
Still, he could’ve made a more dramatic leap as a shooter. Turner is still prone to passing up open shots from downtown, usually stagnating the offense or leading to a lower percentage shot in the mid-range. He could look at a player like Brook Lopez in 2018-19, where the former post-exclusive center attempted an eye-popping 6.3 three-point attempts per contest. If Turner can get near that figure, it will open up a lot of things for the Pacers while forcing defenses to respect his volume shooting.
Indiana Pacers: Myles Turner should constantly exploit the open lane
Despite his frequent timidity on offense, Myles Turner is an athletic and mobile center who can drive in the lane and punish defenders who mistake him for a plodding big man. Sabonis’ brilliance as an offensive centerpiece simply overshadows the fact that Turner can also wreak damage as a scorer.
Alas, Sabonis’ presence on the offensive end of the floor is a magnet for defenders. His primary option is his post-ups, but his tremendous passing ability should be a facet of the game that pushes Turner to seek for more opportunities to score. With Domas already prone to double teams, Myles must make it a point to use his sneaky hops and exploit the open lane.
In the second half of the season, the Indiana Pacers were a constant target of zone defenses, which often forced Sabonis to operate out of the post. When he did get to his spot though, double teams automatically ensued, but Turner and the others settle for waiting on the inevitable swing pass to get shots off. This shouldn’t be the only resort and Myles, in particular, must exploit the open lanes made available by Domas’ post presence and passing.
Indiana Pacers: Myles Turner must develop his interior passing game
Very few teams in the NBA mobilize a two-big lineup consistently. The Indiana Pacers are one of the edgy few with their starting frontcourt of Turner and Sabonis. While this pairing may seem antiquated on paper, especially with how today’s game is played, the unique one-two punch also opens up a lot of possibilities on the floor.
One advantage of playing big is the abundance of mismatches that can be exploited on the floor. This is a common motif in the Pacers’ offense that isn’t maximized much. When Sabonis goes into pick and roll actions with the guards, Sabonis is usually left with a smaller man tethered to him until the double comes.
The ball handler can’t always zip an easy dime because defenders are always fronting the post, but if Turner can develop a feel for the high low pass and serve as a passing outlet, especially with his size and an already-present knack for entry passes, then he can provide a different dynamic to the offense while lessening the frequency of post isos. Pau Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge notably relied on these actions a lot with the San Antonio Spurs in the not-so-distant past.
Indiana Pacers: Myles Turner should attack mismatches and the post more
As said in the previous slide, the Indiana Pacers are presented with an array of mismatches on the floor consistently. Domantas Sabonis is the usual exploiter of these, but Myles Turner is commonly neglected by defenders as a threat as they settle with a smaller player guarding him.
What’s puzzling though is the measly percentage of his shots stemming from post-ups at only 5.3 percent. This reflects his passiveness on attacking mismatches which becomes an even more glaring hole since he outsizes most players and out-speeds most big men.
However, an interesting fact is that Turner records a 0.93 points per possession on post-ups, a higher mark than the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Karl Anthony-Towns and even Domas. While this is largely because of his low frequency with post-ups, this pushes the agenda that Myles on the post is, in theory and partly in practice, a viable option to score.
If the rotation stays the same and Sabonis is staggered to lead the second unit, Turner should attack the post more in lineups where he is the lone center. Another benefit of this is it also gives him a bigger chance for to attack the offensive boards, where he only averages 1.3 per game, and not just settle as a floor spacer to arm the scoring attack with more variance and make himself a better individual weapon on offense.