Indiana Pacers big man Myles Turner is a free agent this summer, and a big payday could be on the horizon if the team wants to bring him back. However, the Texas native is almost playing himself out of a bigger contract due to his less-than-stellar play against the New York Knicks in the conference finals.
Turner has been decent against the Knicks on offense for the most part, but he played horribly in Game 5. In the loss, he recorded just five points, two rebounds, and two assists, though he did also record three blocks. However, his biggest problem in the series is that he has done a horrible job containing Karl-Anthony Towns, who will play a big role in the Knicks' attempt to come back in the series.
Towns has been solid all season, but he has turned it up another level against Turner and the Pacers and looked close to unstoppable. The New Jersey native is averaging 25.4 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists against Indiana while shooting 51.8% from the field and 42.3% from the three-point line.
The Pacers rely on Turner heavily on both sides of the ball, and rightfully so. However, he was horrible in Game 5. This series is far from over, and things could go from bad to worse for Turner and the Pacers if he does not figure it out.
Myles Turner is still too valuable for the Pacers to move on from
One bad game does not negate how important Turner is to Indiana's success. The 29-year-old is still one of the best stretch bigs in the NBA, and he provides a unique skillset that works perfectly in the Pacers' system. His latest performance does not change the fact that the Pacers need to do whatever they can to bring their long-time center back in the offseason. Fortunately for them, it seems likely that Turner will not go anywhere this summer.
The Pacers are just one win away from their first NBA Finals appearance since 2000. However, as the Knicks made clear in Game 5, they are not going down without a fight. There are still reasons to like Indiana's odds of sending the Knicks home and ending their season early for the second year in a row. However, everybody on the team still needs to bring their A-game, and that includes Turner. Hopefully for him (and the Pacers), he can turn it around and get back on track in what could be a series-clinching Game 6 on Saturday night.